The Nets aren’t burying teams from beyond the 3-point arc. They are doing more than simply outscoring the opposition. And they are winning — more than they were at this point last year.
Defense and toughness can go a long way.
That trend continued Friday night in Atlanta during a drama-filled 113-105 victory over the Hawks that included a brief confrontation between Kevin Durant and Trae Young.
Durant was brilliant, notching 31 points, six assists and three blocks, and James Harden had a double-double of 20 points and 11 assists. Young led the Hawks with 31 points.
Defense, a surprising Nets strength, ignited this strong road victory in which they rallied from an 11-point, second-half deficit and held the explosive Hawks to just 14 points in the final quarter.
On another night when the Nets were outshot from 3-point range and fell behind early, they scrapped in key moments, and received production from a few surprising players. Bruce Brown scored 15 points off the bench in his best game in weeks, rookie Cam Thomas continued to produce, scoring 11 key points, and Nic Claxton’s defense was essential down the stretch.
With the win, the Nets improved to an Eastern Conference-best 18-8. They were just 14-12 through 26 games a year ago.
The Hawks opened on a 10-2 run and the Nets responded by scoring 14 of the next 16 points, a sign of the entertaining game to come. The Hawks built up leads and the Nets answered.
Rinse, repeat.
The Hawks led by as many as 11 early in the third quarter. The Nets went ahead at one point late in the stanza. The teams traded haymakers like that the entire evening, going punch for punch.
The Nets went up 103-95 with 5:24 left, after a 12-2 run that was fueled by defense and two monster dunks by Claxton. The lead didn’t switch hands again.
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December 11, 2021 at 10:36AM
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Nets' defense powers drama-filled road win over Hawks - New York Post
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