Atlanta Hawks Lose Heartbreaker to Nets, 90-88

The Atlanta Hawks lost their second consecutive heartbreaker on Tuesday night, falling to the Brooklyn Nets by a score of 90-88 at the Barclays Center.

Tuesday’s defeat at Brooklyn is the third consecutive loss for the Atlanta Hawks, and the fourth loss in the last five games. Kent Bazemore and Jeff Teague sat out Tuesday’s game with injuries, and were sorely missed down the stretch. Al Horford led the way for the Atlanta Hawks in scoring with 18 points on 8-11 shooting, including 2-3 from beyond the arc. Paul Millsap chipped in with 17 points on the night, and added 6 rebounds. Millsap played well at the 3 tonight, and looked comfortable shifting down to the small forward position.

With Kent Bazemore out with an injured right ankle, Head Coach Mike Budenholzer started his big lineup with Tiago Splitter at center, Al Horford at power forward, and Paul Millsap on the wing. Tiago Splitter was effective defensively against known Atlanta Hawks hater Brook Lopez, but was noticeably absent from the rotation down the stretch. Without the large presence of Tiago Splitter, Brook Lopez plagued the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, posting a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

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It’s curious why Budenholzer did not go with Splitter down the stretch, especially when he had a +/- of +7 for the game. He only played 12 minutes in the game, and could have helped the Hawks stop Lopez. Thabo Sefolosha played most of the fourth quarter instead of Splitter, matching up against for Atlanta Hawks Joe Johnson.

Turnovers were the largest source of trouble for the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, who recorded 20 on the night — a season high. Though the Atlanta Hawks controlled the game for most of the first half, the Nets took a lead into the fourth quarter. The Hawks were down 76-70 in the middle of the fourth quarter, but key baskets by Paul Millsap allowed the Hawks to cut the deficit.

An Al Horford 2-point jumpshot with 5:15 left gave the Atlanta Hawks a two-point lead at 78-76. With less than 3 minutes left, a Joe Johnson field goal allowed the Nets to reclaim the lead at 83-82. After the Nets went up by 1 point on a free-throw, Paul Millsap was fouled on the other end, and split the pair of free-throws to narrow the deficit to 84-83.

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Al Horford and Joe Johnson traded baskets in the final 90 seconds, as a Horford field gave the lead back to the Atlanta Hawks at 85-84 with 1:14 left in the fourth quarter. Joe Johnson responded with another field goal on the other end of the floor, giving Brooklyn another lead at 86-85.

Thabo Sefolosha hit the biggest shot of the night for the Atlanta Hawks with 40 seconds remaining, sinking a huge 3-pointer from the corner to give the Hawks an 88-86 lead. Jarrett Jack sunk a floater in the subsequent possession, tying the game. In the penultimate offensive possession for the Atlanta Hawks on the night, as Dennis Schroder looked out of control, nearly turning the ball over and then missing his shot. Paul Millsap grabbed the offensive board, but was blocked by Brook Lopez, leading to a fast-break the other way, where Thaddeus Young was fouled by Kyle Korver with 0.9 seconds left.

Thaddeus Young sunk both free-throws, giving Brooklyn a 90-88 lead. With 0.9 seconds left, Thabo Sefolosha inbounded the ball to Al Horford, but it was knocked away as time expired, giving the Atlanta Hawks their third straight loss. After missing the winning shot on Sunday against the Jazz, the Hawks lost another heart-breaker.

Next: Atlanta Hawks Travel to Barclays Center to Face Nets

Dennis Schroder did not play well at all tonight in Jeff Teague’s absence, scoring only 8 points on 3-11 shooting, while turning the ball over 3 times. Shelvin Mack played well off the bench, scoring 8 points in 19 minutes, while going 2-4 from three-point range. If Jeff Teague is unable to play on Wednesday against the Kings, Schroder’s play must improve.

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