Bridges delivers game-winner for Brooklyn

Drains go-ahead jumper as Nets pull out thriller in Atlanta

December 7, 2023 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Mikal Bridges shot the Nets to victory in Atlanta Wednesday night in a game that featured an NBA-record 43 lead changes. AP Photo by Hakim Wright Sr.

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Trae Young and the Hawks outdueled Mikal Bridges and the Nets in the Eastern Conference rivals’ previous back-and-forth thriller in Atlanta.

Bridges made sure this one went into the win column for Brooklyn after an NBA-record 43 lead changes and 11 ties.

The 6-foot-6 forward capped a 32-point effort with a step-back jumper with 4.5 seconds left on the clock, lifting the Nets to a thrilling 114-113 triumph over Young and the Hawks in front of 15,906 fans at State Farm Arena.

Just over two weeks ago, Young and Bridges staged an epic duel on the same floor.

Young scored a season-high 43 points, 14 of which came in overtime, to lead Atlanta to a 147-145 victory, leaving Bridges to lament what could have been after he matched a career best with 45 points that night.

The Nets (11-9) have won five of six games since that hard-to-swallow defeat on Nov. 22, but none tasted as sweet as this bit of early season revenge against the Hawks (9-11).

Bridges made that clear after posting his first career victory in Atlanta.

“It only took six years,” Bridges joked, noting that he had spent the better part of his first five NBA campaigns in the Western Conference with Phoenix.

“I guess it took me getting to the East. I’m so happy to get this dub.”

So was Nets coach Jacque Vaughn, who admitted that he felt his team was “going to get this one” despite Young’s 30 points and nine assists.

Trae Young scored 30 points, but only went 11-of-24 from the floor Wednesday as the Nets outlasted the Hawks in Atlanta. AP Photo by Hakim Wright Sr.

The Hawks’ high-scoring point guard erased a 112-110 Brooklyn lead by deftly stepping back for a 26-footer with 17.1 ticks remaining.

But Bridges, who lost his memorable late-game showdown against Young in the Nets’ last visit, came right down the floor with an answer on the next trip.

“He was calm, cool,” Brooklyn forward Cam Johnson said of Bridges. “Trusting the work, getting to his spots. That little step-back had been working for him, so he went right back to it. Didn’t think twice about it. The result was all we could ask for.”

Young missed a floater in the lane just before the buzzer, complaining in vain that he was fouled as the Hawks suffered their fourth loss in five games.

“I’ve played a lot of games in this league so far,” Young noted. “I understand it’s just one game. You’ve got to flush it. As terrible as the end result is, you’ve got to flush it and try to learn from it.”

Johnson finished with 17 points, Dorian Finney-Smith had 15 off the bench and Spencer Dinwiddie added 13, including 10 in the fourth quarter, as Brooklyn built on its recently completed 4-1 homestand with its grittiest road win of the year.

Dennis Smith Jr., also had 13 points for the Nets in a reserve role, but was even more important on defense against Young, including the final empty possession.

“He was fired up, and he got me fired up too,” Vaughn said of Smith. “The guys rally around him. It’s contagious.”

Saddiq Bey scored 21 points and former Net Bogdan Bogdanovic added 20 for Atlanta, which should be eager to avenge this loss when it visits Downtown’s Barclays Center for a two-game set from Feb. 29-March 2.

“Tough to lose the game on the final possession,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder told the Associated Press. “I thought we played as well defensively as we have in a while. You’d like that effort to be rewarded with a win.”

The Nets will return to Brooklyn to host Washington Friday before beginning a five-game West Coast swing in Sacramento Monday.

Spencer Dinwiddie splits a pair of Atlanta defenders Wednesday in Atlanta, where the Nets won for the fifth time in their last six games. AP Photo by Hakim Wright Sr.

NOTHING BUT NET: Bridges and Johnson combined to go 19-for-32 from the field in Atlanta, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range. … Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe each grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds against the Hawks. … Nets guard Lonnie Walker IV sat out Wednesday with a left-hamstring strain that should keep him off the floor for the next two weeks.