The Brooklyn Nets have temporarily stabilized after the scary three-game skid that saw them playing depressing basketball. Now they are looking to reclaim the sixth seed from the Detroit Pistons. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks have been basking in the glory of their two young studs in Trae Young and John Collins. Tonight, though, Brooklyn’s young stars were able to walk away victorious.
This game started out much better than the previous contest which saw the Nets fall behind by double-digits in the first quarter. Brooklyn was absolutely terrible from every spot on the floor, shooting 37/27/65 splits as a team. They still carried a lead into the second half mostly due to passionate play from Jarrett Allen.
Pick and roll perfection ?@SDinwiddie_25 ? @_bigjayy_ #WeGoHard pic.twitter.com/EzFQLLVGah
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 10, 2019
The Fro set the tone early with his powerful paint presence and refusal to back down when confronted by Atlanta’s bigs. Great bench contributions from Spencer Dinwiddie and DeMarre Carroll helped to compensate for the poor shooting of the starting wings.
The Nets were never able to cultivate a large lead as the Hawks continued to battle in the second half. The saving grace was the fact that Atlanta also had a terrible shooting night, hitting less than 20 percent of their threes. This game was extremely slow with the two teams combining for 86 free throw attempts. However, the score was always so tight that neither fanbase felt comfortable enough to look away.
The game would have been a blowout if Brooklyn had been able to hit more than 60.4 percent of their free throws. That being said, these are the types of games that are absolutely crucial victories as the playoff hunt heats up. It was undeniably ugly, but a win is a win.
Jarrett Allen
A
The stats: 20 PTS, 5-6 FG, 10-16 FT, 12 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO
Jarrett Allen stepped up to keep the Nets in this game.
Tonight was one of the best nights for the Fro in a long while. He showed more of the toughness and grit that he has lacked at times this season. His seven offensive rebounds and overall presence was absolutely crucial tonight in Atlanta.
Spencer Dinwiddie
B+
The stats: 23 PTS, 7-14 FG, 4-7 3PT, 6 REB, 7 AST, 1 BLK, 2 TO
Tonight, Spencer Dinwiddie set the record for most points off the bench in franchise history.
.@SDinwiddie_25 is HEATING UP & so are the @BrooklynNets celebrations?
Watch LIVE: https://t.co/EN8lW5J08v pic.twitter.com/uxJC0GU5R0
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) March 10, 2019
This was an iconic Dinwiddie performance and his best since recovering from his torn thumb ligaments. This is the Spencer that the Nets will need down the stretch to sneak away with wins from the better teams in the league. This is the guy that could help them make noise in the playoffs.
Rodions Kurucs
A-
The stats: 16 PTS, 5-7 FG, 4-5 3PT, 6 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 TO
Rodions Kurucs looks like the stretch four that the Nets have been searching for.
SHOW 'EM, YOUNG FELLA ✈️??
@RODIONS1 | #WeGoHard pic.twitter.com/EUXjeB2hbK
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 10, 2019
Who would have thought that he was hiding on the bench the whole time? On a serious note, Kurucs did have serious shooting struggles leading up to his benching. It is great to see him hitting such a high clip from the three-point line, but I will need to see this performance continue before we can be on him being the answer to all of Brooklyn’s problems.
D'Angelo Russell
B-
The stats: 18 PTS, 6-23 FG, 3-12 3PT, 3 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 1 TO
D’Angelo Russell had another inefficient night shooting the ball.
THIS PASS.mp4@Dloading | #WeGoHard pic.twitter.com/PqQS0AsSW7
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 10, 2019
However, he somewhat made up for those struggles with his effortless control over the game. He never appeared to be rushed or out of control as he got to his spots exactly when he wanted to. He took excellent care of the ball and the offense was rumbling under his careful hand.