Nets fall to Hawks as early hole, turnovers and Noah Clowney ejection swing game
The Nets fell to the Atlanta Hawks, 141-107, Friday night at Barclays Center, dropping to 18-59. It was also the first game after the Nets announced Michael Porter Jr. and rookie Danny Wolf were ruled out for the rest of the season.
Brooklyn finished the night tied with the Indiana Pacers for the second-best lottery odds. Six Nets finished in double figures, led by Nic Claxton, who had 16 points, five rebounds and two assists. Atlanta took control early.
The Hawks hit two of their first three 3-point attempts and jumped out to a 6-0 lead in less than a minute on baskets from Onyeka Okongwu and CJ McCollum. Nets head coach Jordi Fernández called timeout before the first minute was complete. Brooklyn did not score its first basket until the 9:23 mark of the opening quarter and was already down eight at that point.
The Hawks continued to build the lead. Brooklyn trailed by as many as 18 in the first quarter, but the Nets got a lift from the bench, led by Malachi Smith. Smith’s first 3-pointer cut the deficit to 15 and the Nets followed with stops and transition chances.
Josh Minott made a defensive play late that led to a 59-foot Smith heave at the buzzer. The shot went in but was waived off because Smith released it after time expired. Smith stayed aggressive to start the second quarter and opened the period with another 3 to cut the lead to seven.