The Atlanta Hawks 13-13 stumbled a bit in their efforts to gain some ground in the Eastern Conference before Christmas. With only one another 2021 playoff team on tap in the next five games, taking Friday’s tilt with the Brooklyn Nets would have been a boon. Instead, they fell 113-105 and have now lost four straight games at home.
That was thanks largely to a fourth-quarter collapse that saw them begin the period with a two-point lead only to miss their first three attempts and then proceed to be outscored 24-14 in the final frame.
They shot 27.3 percent from the floor and went 1-of-8 from outside; though, Brooklyn did go 0-for-8 from beyond the arc themselves.
The good news is that this was by far the toughest opponent in this window.
Trae Young tied Kevin Durant to lead all scorers with 31 points while dishing out 10 assists for his 14th double-double. He also snagged seven rebounds and had a couple of steals. That’s about where the good news ends as he shot just 37 percent from the floor and went 2-of-8 from deep. He was just 2-for-7 in the fourth quarter and 1-for-3 on threes.
Worse yet, Young had a season-high seven turnovers; five coming in the second half.
Trae wanted to execute better down the stretch, but he says that he and KD are good. pic.twitter.com/iLc6jdDsVA
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) December 11, 2021
The Atlanta Hawks did themselves no favors in the fourth quarter vs the Nets
He wasn’t the only one giving it away. Kevin Huerter, who had 14 points and went 5-of-7 from deep. He also had three boards, three assists, and a couple of steals. He also turned the ball over four times, tying his season-high, for the third time this year.
John Collins had 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, and a couple of steals. But he was just 1-of-5 from three and wasn’t good defensively. Meanwhile, Clint Capela had a 14-point, 16-board double-double. But the Hawks were outscored 66-50 in the paint. That’s not all on Capela but he, as the center, cannot be absolved either.