Nets power past Hawks behind Durant’s 31

Yet another robust night from KD qualified prospects the Nets to a acquire in Atlanta.

Following a fairly uncomfortable loss at the hands of the Houston Rockets, the Nets bounced again in a large way as they continued their four-video game highway trip. Whilst Brooklyn didn’t have the companies of Kevin Durant on Wednesday, they most unquestionably did on Friday in ATL.

Durant would be the driving power at the rear of the Nets offense all night and wasted no time asserting himself in the video game. He commenced the video game pink warm, scoring 12 of his team-significant 31 points in the initial quarter. Not only did he have a monster slam in transition but also acquired it performed on the defensive stop far too tallying two blocks.

By halftime, Durant had 17 points on a remarkably efficient eight-for-ten from the industry and would end the video game 12-for-22 and would score six of Brooklyn’s closing 8 points. Just a different working day at the business for #7.

To be frank the video game was up in the air all night. It was a again-and-forth affair with no 1 team ever having a distinct benefit. The two groups had been tied at the stop of the initial quarter, divided by three at halftime and then divided by two at the stop of the third just before Brooklyn in the end took manage for a 113-a hundred and five acquire.

The tide of the video game truly turned in the third quarter. Following Atlanta grabbed an eleven-place guide off the power of a ten-two run, Brooklyn speedily answered with a 12-4 run of their very own. Rookie Cam Thomas (eleven points, six rebounds) presented a good spark off the bench knocking down a trio of extensive balls. Thomas has notably struggled from length early into his rookie campaign so most likely his three-for-4 night versus the Hawks will be a springboard for him.

Nic Claxton was a different 1 of the galvanizing players for Brooklyn down the stretch. Following sitting the total initial 50 percent, Claxton entered the video game and quickly built an effect. In his initial possession, he clamped up Trae Youthful.

Significantly like in Brooklyn’s recent video game versus the Mavericks, Claxton was tasked with guarding an MVP-caliber participant off the change and handed the take a look at with traveling shades. He built it complicated for Trae to get effortless looks apart from two layups late in the fourth.

Brooklyn would start out the closing interval on a fourteen-4 run with Claxton square in the middle of it. The previous Georgia Bulldog had the Brooklyn bench likely nuts with two massive dunks. The initial of which was a 1-handed putback slam off a Patty Mills skipped three. The next, which had the full arena buzzing was a 1-handed flush in excess of two Atlanta Hawks players.

.@_claxton33 those people are MAN’S JAMS 😤😤😤 pic.twitter.com/4xqnVzZYcY

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December eleven, 2021

Powering the Nets across the end line alongside Durant was James Harden. It was a much better effectiveness for Harden than his prior outing versus the Rockets. The Beard tallied twenty points to go alongside with five rebounds and eleven assists.

Whilst hesitant in the initial 50 percent and a minor turnover prone in the next, Harden would come as a result of for Brooklyn down the stretch with a pair of difficult finishes at the basket in the fourth. James was a large catalyst in Brooklyn’s 37-place third quarter tallying six assists and four points.

The acquire now presents the Nets ten highway wins on the time and also presents them 1 versus a team that must be in the playoffs this time barring health. Brooklyn was equipped to flex their muscle on the inside to the tune of 66 points in the paint, 40 of which came in the initial 50 percent.

This was critical as Brooklyn struggled from three-place variety all night, shooting a meager 6-for-23 (26%). This was also the next straight video game in which the Nets held their opponent to less than 15 points in the closing quarter.

The Nets are now eight- adhering to a loss and will look to round out their highway trip with a acquire Sunday when they check out the hapless Detroit Pistons.