Celtics

Nets notch winning streak, record in win over Hawks

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A-

Final: 10/22/2017

W 116 – 104

Nets bench reax2_10.22 pic

The Nets are here. The Nets are fun. The Nets are winning. 

In its 116-104 win over the Atlanta Hawks Sunday evening led by five Nets in double-figures, Brooklyn remained undefeated at home and started its first winning streak just three games into the season. The Nets bench was enthusiastic about each and every play. 

After an underwhelming first quarter from Brooklyn, in which Atlanta went up 25-19, the Nets put up 37 points in the second quarter and 35 points in the third to get a firm handle on the lead.

Atlanta ended up making a comeback in the fourth quarter, however. Some three-pointers and easy layups led the Hawks to tie the game 99-99 in the fourth. 

Last year’s Nets might have lost this game. This year’s Nets went on a 17-5 run to finish the game, and held the Hawks to 34 percent shooting overall.

The tandem of D’Angelo Russell and Allen Crabbe was phenomenal Sunday. Russell recorded 10 assists, half of which went to Crabbe. 

From start to finish, Crabbe had a handle on this game. His threes, defensive presence and vision make him very fun to watch on this roster. 

Another standout was Jarrett Allen, who recorded four steals in the first half and added four rebounds in the game. While his offense needs work, his defense is showing why Brooklyn scouted Allen for the first round pick. 

To some the win and strong finish might seem like anomalies, so we’ll need some more games to see if this is the trend Brooklyn will take this year. All we know so far is that the Nets like playing at home.

The Nets made some history tonight to go along with the win. Per YES Network, the Nets are over .500 for the first time since November 2014. Additionally, according to NBA Stats, the Nets are the first team since the Trailblazers in 1988-89 to score 115-plus points in each of their first three games. 

Yeah, it might be just a 2-1 record, and the Nets might not get over .500 again for the whole season. But it’s happening now, and Nets fans are here for it. 

DeMarre Carroll

A-

The stats: 28 MIN, 17 PTS, 4-7 FG, 2-5 3PT, 7-10 FT, 3 REB, 2 AST, 2 TOV, 2 STL, 2 BLK

Carroll is arguably the unsung hero of Sunday’s game. Besides giving Atlanta three free throw shots with 0.4 seconds left in the first half (we didn’t forget that, DeMarre), he put up 17 points and stepped up when needed.

He also went to the line 10 times tonight, draining seven of those shots. Add in two steals, two blocks and two assists, Carroll is showing Kenny Atkinson he needs to be a staple in his rotation. 

Allen Crabbe

B

The stats: 26 MIN, 20 PTS, 7-12 FG, 4-7 3PT, 2-2 FT, 5 REB, 1 TOV, 1 STL, 1 BLK

Allen Crabbe is starting to get pretty comfortable in the black and white. 

Whenever Crabbe caught a pass from Russell, it seemed like his shot went in. Russell had some pretty passes Sunday, too.

From three, Crabbe is as-advertised, and on defense, he has great timing. 

Watch out for Crabbe and Russell to make a fun, aggressive duo in the backcourt in the future. 

D'Angelo Russell

B-

The stats: 29 MIN, 16 PTS, 6-13 FG, 1-3 3PT, 3-4 FT, 7 REB, 10 AST, 4 TOV, 1 STL

Mr. Double-double D’Angelo Russell. That’s got a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

The guard notched just the fourth double-double of his career Sunday against the Hawks, and he looked pretty comfortable doing it. He was three rebounds from a triple-double, too. 

While it wasn’t his best offensive showing, Russell showed that he can facilitate the offense in Jeremy Lin’s stead. It helps when Crabbe hits almost every shot that’s passed to him, but Russell had some nifty passes today that led to big scores. 

Sunday was a day where Russell showed he can both initiate scoring and score himself. Time will tell if he can continue it. 

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