DeMarre Carroll wasn’t about to score only two points again.
The Hawks defensive specialist was 1-of-8 from the field in Game 2 of the first-round playoff series against the Nets. In Game 3, the small forward shook off the poor offensive effort and scored a team-high 22 points, on 9-of-12 shooting, in a 91-83 loss Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center.
“Just being more aggressive,” Carroll said of his offensive output. “My teammates were finding me. That was the biggest thing. I was just being the Junkyard Dog and letting the game come to me. Game 2, my main focus was defense. I’ve always going to come in with defense. I might be having a good night offensively, but I’ve got to come in with defense. That’s where my team needs me.”
It’s a series
The Nets now trail the best-of-seven series 2-1 after the win at home. Game 4 is scheduled for Brooklyn on Monday.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said he was not concerned about giving the Nets hope.
“From the beginning, I think they’ve been a confident team,” Budenholzer said. “We’ve gone out big early the first couple of games. There were some runs or positions where we were playing well, and they fought back. They are a confident group, just like we are. It’s the playoffs. They’ve played well in stretches from the beginning. It’s going to be a series.”
Keeping Williams in check
The Hawks nearly shut down the Nets’ Deron Williams for a second consecutive game. The point guard scored three points on 1-of-8 shooting in Game 3. He was limited to two points on 1-of-7 shooting in Game 2. In the three games of the series, Williams scored 18 points on 7-of-26 shooting.
Williams played only 26 minutes in Game 3 after he appeared to sustain an injury. Nets coach Lionel Hollins would not comment following the game on a possible injury.
Horford limited in fourth quarter
Al Horford came out as a sub for Pero Antic with 5:15 remaining in the game and the Hawks trailing by 10 points, and he did not return.
Budenholzer said after the game the decision was not based on Horford’s injured right little finger.
“Al is fine,” Budenholzer said. “We wanted to give Al a couple of minutes (rest) and there went a pretty significant period of time without a dead ball. Pero (Antic) had made some plays. We were in a situation where maybe a 3 … there was a 10-point lead and we decided to stick with Pero for a little more spacing. Al is fine. He just couldn’t get back in the game and then it got to where there was just a minute and a half left in the game. We just stuck with Pero.”
No distraction
Budenholzer was asked about the team’s return to New York for the first time since the Thabo Sefolosha and Antic arrests earlier this month.
“We are trying to keep our routine, on the court and off the court, as close to normal as possible,” Budenholzer said. “We’ve got guys that are very mature, very responsible. I think they are all in a good place and know how important what is happening is. We are just going about our business.”
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