Celtics

Brooklyn overcomes 18-point deficit to defeat Atlanta behind Dinwiddie’s 39 points

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Final: 12/21/2019

W 122 – 112

Nets fans, you may now safely breathe a sigh of relief.

In what looked to be a blowout loss to the 6-23 Atlanta Hawks, the Nets stormed back in the fourth quarter behind the likes of Garrett Temple, DeAndre Jordan and Spencer Dinwiddie. The crowd at the Barclays Center was on its feet as it watched the Nets dominate the Hawks in the final quarter, outscoring Atlanta 37-14 in the quarter.

With Dinwiddie sidelined due to foul trouble, Temple and Jordan led beginning stages of the comeback, and coach Kenny Atkinson placed a lot of faith in their hands. Moments like these — where vets and unsung players lead the way — define Brooklyn’s season thus far. Temple had his best game since scoring 27 points earlier this month, scored 25 points against Atlanta, while Jordan added 12 points and 20 (!) rebounds. 

But when Dinwiddie re-entered the game, he took full control.

Dinwiddie got to the rim at will, splitting Atlanta defenders left and right. Nobody could stop Dinwiddie — who totaled 30+ points for the third consecutive game. 

The Nets’ defense also stepped up big-time in the final frame. Trae Young — who dropped 47 points — was held in-check during crunch time, while Alex Len also contributed 23 points. The Young-Len duo plagued Brooklyn for nearly the entire game — nearly. The Nets’ defense bent about as far as it could, but it never broke.

Trailing by 13 at the half, the Nets came out flat in the third quarter. At one point, Brooklyn trailed Atlanta by 18 points. Dinwiddie exited with five fouls, the defense was non-existent, and shots were not falling. Young and Len continued to destroy the Nets without remorse, and as Kobe Bryant took in the game just a few seats from Brooklyn’s bench, you could not help but wonder whether he was itching to see the court. The Nets do have an open roster spot, so you never know.

Brooklyn’s 18-point comeback is their largest comeback victory of the season, and the win is the team’s 16th of the season (16-13). At home, the Nets are now 9-5.

On Thursday night, the Nets lost David Nwaba to a season-ending Achilles tear. Three weeks ago, Nwaba was out of the rotation — a depth piece. But since re-entering the rotation, Nwaba provided the Nets with stellar defense, athleticism, and to everyone’s surprise, a viable three-point threat. The Nets — who led by double-digits in the third — wound up losing to the Spurs in San Antonio. The Nets have not won a regular-season game in San Antonio since 2002 (played on 1/22/02). To put this into perspective, Nic Claxton was just two years old (born on 4/17/99).

The Nets will have a nice break to recoup and recover. They play host to the New York Knicks on Dec. 26. So far, the Nets are 2-0 against their cross-town rival. 

Spencer Dinwiddie

A+

The stats: 39 PTS, 13-27 FG, 2-6 3PT, 11-12 FT, 6 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 3 TO, 33 MIN

Spencer Dinwiddie scored a career-high 41 points in Thursday’s loss to the Spurs.

On Saturday, Dinwiddie dropped 39 points and finished off the comeback. Dinwiddie’s string of impressive performances has not stopped. Surely, Dinwiddie should be in line for an All-Star berth.

Dinwiddie keeps adding the accolades, including his career-high third 30+ point game in a row. That’s an impressive mark for nearly any NBA player, let alone a guy who much of the league gave up on a few years back.

Joe Harris

B+

The stats: 18 PTS, 6-15 FG, 3-8 3PT, 3-6 FT, 5 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 37 MIN

Joe Harris did not make an impact until late in the fourth. In fact, you would not even know that he was on the court for 37 minutes if you did not check the box score.

Up by three in crunch time, Harris delivered.

How can you not love Joe Harris?

DeAndre Jordan

A+

The stats: 12 PTS, 5-10 FG, 2-4 FT, 20 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 25 MIN

DeAndre Jordan turned what looked to be an abysmal performance into a solid one.

Despite some bone-headed plays, Jordan displayed his athleticism on the glass. He even created some shots for himself at and around the rim.

Jordan handed out six dimes as well — which is always a welcome sight.

This was Jordan’s fifth double-double of the season, while also grabbing a season-high rebound total. Jordan currently leads the NBA in rebounds per game from a bench player.

 

Garrett Temple

A+

The stats: 25 PTS, 10-19 FG, 4-9 3PT, 1-2 FT, 6 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 39 MIN

Garrett Temple has really struggled to find his shot as of late, but Saturday night was a different story for the veteran wing.

After an abysmal first half, Temple found his stroke. He and Jordan led the offense for the better part of a quarter, and the duo proved fatal to Atlanta — who had no answer.

Performances like these are a welcome sight.

 

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