Postgame reaction to the Atlanta Hawks dropping to 1-2 against the Brooklyn Nets

The Atlanta Hawks finished up their business in Brooklyn after a back-and-forth encounter that ultimately ended in their defeat as the Nets took the cake with a 116-104 victory.

Following an impressive start, the Atlanta Hawks were in control through the first quarter and about halfway through the second, before the Brooklyn Nets turned up the heat at the Barclay’s Center and ran away with it, not allowing the Hawks back in for the rest of the game.

The Hawks had a small comeback run about halfway through the 4^th, but D’Angelo Russell and company quickly took command and made their home a fortress as they improved their record to 2-1.

Related Story: John Collins is on a mission to prove his worth

The game had both positive and negative narratives, and it made for an exciting encounter between two teams looking to take the Eastern Conference by storm in the next couple of years.

Firstly, the Hawks’ bench unit shined once more, with wily veteran Marco Belinelli coming up with 19 points on 3 of 7 from deep in 30 minutes and rookie John Collins with 14 points and 13 boards in only 21 minutes; a statement from his third game of his young career.

https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/922214047000412160

The Hawks also made 33 of 36 free throw attempts against the Nets, which was a large reason that they were able to close up the gap later in the 4^th, only to fall behind again without the chance to recover once more.

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Apart from those few highlights, the game was largely one that will be forgotten by many a Hawk fan. 34% shooting from the field, 25.9% from the three, and 13 Nets steals in 48 minutes of action in Brooklyn. Coach Bud tried to will his team to a result, but was unable to this time.

Key players like Kent Bazemore, Taurean Prince, and Ersan Ilyasova all struggled from field, with none of them cracking above 40% shooting. Prince and Ilyasova would only see roughly 22 minutes of action, as the Hawks will suit up tomorrow again against the Miami Heat.

The main storyline, however, was the considerably poor play of Dennis Schroder. Usually a reliable ball handler, Schroder struggled greatly to get in his rhythm tonight and was unable to replicate his performances of the inaugural two games of the season.

Yes, he scored 17 points and dished 8 assists, but he went an ice cold 5/22 from the field, converting nothing from downtown and finished with a net box score of -12, the lowest of tonight’s affair.

He did suffer a right ankle injury late in the 4^th quarter and had to be helped off, and Hawk fans will be very eager that it is nothing serious, as he is still one of the star players on the team. That being said, he cannot have nights like these as the season goes on if the Hawks want to sustain any type of pressure in games and compete.

After being dubbed the new face of the franchise over the summer, Schroder has been expected to take on a larger role and that may be taking a toll on the 5-year veteran already.  Let’s hope that this was a one-off occurrence and that the implications won’t be too serious moving forward.

Next: Hawks rookie John Collins notches first career double-double in loss to Nets

The Atlanta Hawks will look to jump back to .500 tomorrow as they face the Heat, with whom they traveled to play a friendly against in preseason. The game will tip off at 7:30pm EST at the American Airlines Arena, and we will see if it features Schroder or not.