Atlanta Hawks (28-31) beat Brooklyn Nets (15-41) 115-104 at home on Sunday, February 22, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Hawks struck first, taking the opening quarter 32-30 and a 2-point lead after one. The Hawks kept the pressure on with a 28-26 second quarter, carrying a 4-point lead into halftime.
The Nets won the third 31-29 to stay in front, taking a 2-point lead into the fourth. The Hawks took the fourth 26-17; the Hawks finished the job for a 115-104 regulation win.
What decided it
The Hawks grabbed 37.5% of their own misses, while the Nets recovered 19.6%. The Hawks got more from their shots, finishing at 55.7% effective field-goal shooting compared with 51.8% for the Nets. The second chances kept adding up.
The Nets did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 13.2 against 15.6. The Hawks made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 98 possessions per team, the Hawks produced 118 points per 100 possessions to 106.7 for the Nets.
Who made the difference
Nickeil Alexander-Walker was the game's biggest individual force for ATL: 17 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast on 4-12 shooting. His Game Score of 16.7 led everyone. His team was +29 with him on the floor.
Nicolas Claxton led the Nets with 15 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast on 6-11 shooting, good for a 14.4 Game Score.
Jalen Johnson (26 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast) and Onyeka Okongwu (13 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Hawks about a 80% chance.
Across the last 4 meetings in our records, Atlanta Hawks lead 3-1.
The Hawks are now 28-31, and the Nets are 15-41. The Hawks last five before this game: L-L-L-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.