Brooklyn Boro

Nets head down to Mexico on high note

Use strong second half for ‘bounce back’ win over Hawks in Atlanta

December 5, 2017 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Caris LeVert provided a huge lift off the bench in Atlanta Monday night as the Nets pulled away in the second half for a big road win over the Hawks prior to their two-day trip to Mexico later this week. AP Photo by John Bazemor
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This “must-win” mentality is paying dividends for the resilient Brooklyn Nets.

For the second time in their last three games, the Nets entered a contest with a sense of desperation and came out the other side with a much-needed victory.

On Monday night, head coach Kenny Atkinson’s squad rebounded from Saturday’s brutal home loss to Atlanta at Barclays Center by running away from the Hawks in the second half en route to a 110-90 triumph in front of 12,056 fans at Philips Arena.

“It was just a good bounce back,” Atkinson said after his squad blew past the Hawks with a 17-0 run to open the third quarter.

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“I thought — I said after [the] last game — they dominated us at every position. I was interested to see how our guys responded. They went toe-to-toe with us in the first half, and then in the second half, we got that break.”

Caris LeVert was instrumental in Brooklyn’s third victory in its last four road games, amassing team bests of 17 points and seven assists off the bench as the Nets prepared to leave the states for a two-game visit to Mexico City, where they will “host” Oklahoma City on Thursday and Miami on Saturday.

“I thought [starting point guard] Spencer [Dinwiddie] was on fumes a little bit and I thought Caris came in and really took the torch,” Atkinson said. “He was really good in the pick-and-roll. He can really pass the ball, had a couple nice lobs, a couple nice wraparounds.”

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 16 points and DeMarre Carroll and Spencer Dinwiddie added 13 apiece for the Nets, who admitted that they had to get some revenge on the Hawks before their excursion south of the border.

“We really needed this one,” said LeVert. “It gives us great momentum going to Mexico.”

The Nets came out with a similar collective mindset prior to last week’s 109-104 victory in Dallas, which capped off a successful 2-1 road trip.

“I think you’re going to hear a common theme when we all talk about it, is being aggressive and coming out ready to compete,” said rookie center Jarrett Allen, who enjoyed his best games a pro with 11 points and three blocked shots.

“When you saw us, when we came out in the first game [against Atlanta], we came out flat. In this game, we tried to combat that and come out with more energy.”

Following their international two-game set, the Nets (9-14) will return to Barclays Center next Tuesday to host the Washington Wizards.

 


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