Hawks compete with Nets, but fade in fourth quarter

The Hawks (3-1) played the Nets (3-2) close, but fell behind in the fourth quarter of their 145-141 loss Wednesday night in Brooklyn.

Next up, the Hawks will stick around and face the Nets again, at 7:30 p.m. New Year’s Day.

Below are some takeaways from the loss:

1. The Hawks started out 3-0 against teams that have a 2-9 record as of early Wednesday night, so this was one of their first true tests of the season as to just how well the revamped roster can compete against teams that figure to be playoff-bound in the Eastern Conference. They led the Nets for much of the night and played them close until the end, but let the lead slip away as Kyrie Irving found his shot in the fourth quarter after a quiet start. Ultimately, though, it was encouraging to Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce that the team competed with the Nets so well: “We know we can beat this team. We’ve got to learn to execute. We’ve got to learn to finish down the stretch, we’ve got to put together a defensive fourth quarter. This is what finishing is about, execution on both sides of the basketball.”

2. Unsurprisingly, with two talented offensive teams, this game turned into a shootout. The Hawks continued their pattern from starting out strong in the first quarter with 41 points, and they led 68-67 at halftime. Both teams surpassed the 100-point mark in the third quarter, and though the Hawks nearly matched the Nets shot for shot, they couldn’t get a few key stops and had some mental mistakes down the stretch, including not intentionally fouling fast enough when they needed to in the final seconds. The Nets shot 46.3% from 3-point range (19-41) to the Hawks’ 39.1% (18-46).

3. John Collins had a season-high 30 points and a double-double with 10 rebounds. He went 12-for-20 from the field (60%), 2-for-5 from 3-point range (40%) and 4-for-5 from the line (80%). He finished on numerous second-effort plays around the rim and battled defensively, with a steal against Kevin Durant in the third quarter.

4. Defending Durant and Irving posed great challenges, the Hawks knew entering the game. De’Andre Hunter did a solid job defending Irving for three quarters, limiting him to eight points, but when crunch time arrived, Irving was unstoppable, with 17 points in the fourth quarter. Durant added 16 points in the fourth. Overall, Irving finished with 25 points and Durant had 33. Before those two found their rhythm, it was sharpshooter Joe Harris that kept the Nets in the game, adding 23 points and going 6-for-8 from 3. “Kyrie is the hard part,” Collins said of what stumped the Hawks in the fourth. “Got to his spots. Had a rough start but finished. But that’s the most important part. It’s just tough to see, after you played a great game, and to just give it up in the fourth. At the end of the day, a lot of the shots were tough, but that’s what he does, make tough shots. Those are hard ones to live with.”

5. Danilo Gallinari, who had missed the last two games with a left foot contusion, left the game with 3:41 to play in the first quarter after coming down awkwardly on his ankle. He was diagnosed with a right ankle sprain and did not return to the game. Gallinari is a prolific scorer for the Hawks, so they’ll hope it’s not too serious of a sprain. Pierce didn’t have any added information after the game, regarding the severity of the injury.

Stat of the game

63.6% (what the Nets shot from the field in the fourth quarter as they stormed ahead, adding five 3′s on 10 attempts)

Star of the game

Irving led the Nets to victory with 17 points in the fourth quarter, after starting out the game 3-for-16 from the field.

Quotable

“Kyrie and Kevin got hot in the fourth quarter.” -- Pierce’s succinct explanation of what made the difference down the stretch.