Player grades: Mikal Bridges scores 42 as Nets beat Hawks 124-107
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the Atlanta Hawks to Barclays Center on Friday for the fourth and final time this season and won 124-107. Brooklyn has won the regular-season series 3-1.
For the Nets, Mikal Bridges had 42 points and four rebounds while Dorian Finney-Smith had 19 points and eight rebounds. Cam Johnson had 16 points and Nic Claxton had 14 points.
For the Hawks, Dejounte Murray had 21 points and five assists while Saddiq Bey had 16 points and seven rebounds. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 12 points off the bench and Onyeka Okongwu had 12 points.
In the first half, it was a repeat of events from the most recent meeting between these two teams. Brooklyn could not stop Dejounte Murray (15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field) and could not stop Atlanta from getting offensive rebounds (12). However, thanks to holding the Hawks to 38.5% shooting from the field and 18.2% shooting from three-point land, Brooklyn was able to go into halftime with a four-point lead.
In the second half, it was a continuation of the second quarter as Brooklyn dominated the half 75-52. Atlanta started to get cold with shooting the ball and that’s when Bridges and Finney-Smith blew the game open with the way that they were shooting the ball. The Hawks were unable to regain the rhythm they had in the first quarter and it seemed to have a snowball effect throughout the roster.
Here are your Nets player grades:
Spencer Dinwiddie: B+
Dinwiddie had a tough time shooting the ball in this one. He did not get many looks at the basket, but the ones that he did get were usually well-contested or out of rhythm. As usual, Dinwiddie drew a lot of contact, but did not get the benefit of the whistle. He did a good job of helping to rebound the basketball and he was awesome passing the ball as he was able to break down the defense.
Mikal Bridges: A+
Bridges was incredible in this pivotal matchup. He was utterly unstoppable on the offensive end as he was scoring in every way imaginable. He shot his mid-range shots, his three-point shots, and he was getting to the rim at will despite excellent defense from the Hawks. Bridges is coming into his own as an isolation-scorer and creator. As if his scoring wasn’t enough, Bridges also did a good job of rebounding the basketball and dishing it as well.
Cam Johnson: B+
Johnson did a good job of shooting the ball in this one. He could not buy a bucket from three-point land, but he was more than effective in the mid-range and driving to the basket. Since Johnson has come to Brooklyn, he has been exploring his dribble-drive game to offset when his three-point shot is not working and now, he is able to take advantage of switches. He did a good job of rebounding the basketball and as he was able to break down his man off the dribble, he did a good job of using his vision to find the open teammate.
Dorian Finney-Smith: A
Finney-Smith was awesome in this contest on both ends of the floor. Even though his value on the defensive end is more than understood, Finney-Smith was incredible shooting the ball and seemed to be more confident shooting the ball and using his dribble to create issues for the defense. He was great rebounding the basketball and he did a little bit of everything on the defensive end and was key in limiting John Collins.
Nic Claxton: A
Claxton had a slow start, but he finished this game on a strong note. Though he was not involved in the offense much in the first half, Claxton was incredible on that end in the second half as he was catching lobs and finishing strong at the basket, even though fierce contact at the rim. Claxton was awesome on the glass despite having to deal with Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu for most of the contest. Claxton was incredible on defense even though he struggled at times to hold his position in the paint.
Royce O'Neale: B
O’Neale did a decent job of shooting the ball in this one. O’Neale did more of the other things besides shooting the ball as he made an effort to rebound the basketball and was a valuable asset in taking his man off the dribble and finding the open teammate which he did all game long.
Day'Ron Sharpe: D
Sharpe did not have one of his better efforts in this one. He played just nine minutes and in that time, he seemed to be out of sync all game long. There were a few times that he received the ball under the basket, but either could not control the ball or wasn’t able to power through to the basket.
Joe Harris: B
Harris did a great job of shooting the ball in this one. He was impactful from the three-point line and he helped Brooklyn break the game open in the third quarter. Harris did not do much else in the game, but he did his job by shooting the ball the way that he did.
Seth Curry: B-
Curry played only 10 minutes in this game, but he found a way to make an impact through his scoring. He was able to work his mid-range game and he found success with it even with the defense that Atlanta was playing in the early going.
