Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young burns Brooklyn Nets in OT thriller

Scores 14 after regulation to hand Nets third straight loss

November 24, 2023 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Nic Claxton and the Nets couldn't stop Trae Young when it mattered most Wednesday in Atlanta, suffering a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Hawks. AP Photo by Hakim Wright Sr.

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The Brooklyn Nets may have some digestion issues when they sit down to feast on Thanksgiving Day.

One second away from averting a third consecutive defeat Wednesday night in Atlanta, the Nets instead had to watch Trae Young torch them for 14 of his season-high 43 points during overtime en route to a gut-wrenching 147-145 loss to the Hawks in front of 17,340 fans at State Farm Arena.

Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges matched a career best with 45 points, but ultimately lost a spectacular duel with Young down the stretch.

“We gotta figure out what we can do to not give up 147 points,” lamented Bridges, who misfired on a 17-footer at the regulation buzzer that could have settled matters much earlier.

After trailing by as many as 15 points, the Nets (6-8) finally appeared on the verge of heading back to Barclays Center with their record back at .500 and eager to dig into some turkey before they open a five-game homestand vs. Miami on Saturday.

But Young, who put up 38 points in Atlanta’s 157-152 loss to visiting Indiana a night earlier, refused to let his team suffer the indignity of an 0-4 homestand.

“When I have a chance to put my team ahead and win the game, you don’t want to let your teammates down,” said Young, who hit a free throw with one tick remaining in regulation to forge a 131-131 tie before scoring all but two of the Hawks’ points in the extra session.

He answered Bridges’ 13-foot pull-up with a 19-foot jumper and nailed an eye-popping 35-footer before Bridges evened the game again at 138-138 on a 3-pointer.

Mikal Bridges scored a career high-tying 45 points Wednesday, but the Nets lost their third in a row in Atlanta. AP Photo by Hakim Wright Sr.

Spencer Dinwiddie converted a three-point play to put Brooklyn back in front, but Young made a pair from the free-throw line to nudge the Hawks (7-7) back in front, 140-139.

Bridges responded with an 11-footer, but Young hit a seven-foot floater to give Atlanta the lead back at 142-141 with 45.2 seconds left in OT.

Undaunted, Bridges hit a 12-foot pull-up with 28.1 to go.

However, Young’s 18-foot step-back and three free throws in the waning seconds left Brooklyn with one final chance to either force another OT or walk out of Atlanta with its best win of the year.

But the Nets never got a shot off in the final two seconds, settling for their highest point output of the campaign, which was spearheaded by Bridges’ masterful performance.

The 6-foot-6 forward went 16-of-31 from the floor, 11-of-12 at the line, grabbed 10 rebounds, handed out four assists and picked up a pair of steals in 44 scintillating minutes.

“He had some great drives tonight,” Vaughn said of Bridges, who also put up 45 against Miami last season his third game as a Net on Feb. 15. “And that’s just a part of basketball.”

So are injuries.

Brooklyn, which was playing without starters Cam Thomas (ankle) and Ben Simmons (back), got 26 points and 12 assists from Dinwiddie, 23 points from Cam Johnson and 22 points and 11 rebounds from Nic Claxton.

Johnson had the Nets on the brink of victory when his tip-in of Bridges’ missed layup with 3.1 seconds left in regulation put Brooklyn in front 131-130.

But Young got fouled by Dinwiddie on his way to the basket with a tick left and the 6-foot-1 point guard missed the first before extending the game on his second.

Young went a startling 8-of-16 from beyond the arc, 11-of-13 at the stripe and handed out nine assists for the Hawks, who appeared to have plenty of energy despite losing the highest-scoring game in the NBA this year to the Pacers on Tuesday.

“We gave up a lot of points, but when it mattered, we got some big stops,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder told the Associated Press.

The Nets couldn’t stop their longest losing streak since Oct. 30-Nov. 3, but will get an extra day to digest this loss before hosting the red-hot Heat, winners of nine of their last 10, on the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush Friday.

They certainly could have done without an extra helping of Atlanta’s blazing superstar.

“I want to impose my will on the game as much as I can when I go out and play,” Young said.

Spencer Dinwiddie’s 26 points and 12 assists weren’t enough to help the Nets avoid a season high-tying third straight loss. AP Photo by Hakim Wright Sr.

NOTHING BUT NET: The Nets released injury updates on their missing starters before Wednesday’s wild tilt. Simmons, who has missed the last seven games with a left lower back nerve impingement, is continuing to improve and has started “light individual court work,” according to a team-issued release. He will have his status updated in the next seven to 10 days. Thomas, Brooklyn’s leading scorer during the early part of the season, has missed six straight games with a left ankle sprain. He is expected to return to team activities next week. The Nets were also without reserve guard Dennis Smith Jr., for the second straight game with a lower back sprain. He continues to be listed as day-to-day.