Nets 4th quarter woes continue with loss to Hawks 93-84
Stop me if you heard this before but the Nets lost another 4th quarter lead last night in Atlanta in one of the Nets better played games of the season. NJ started the game well which is an accomplishment in itself and didn’t put themselves into a double digit hole in the beginning as they looked very intense on the defensive end and it showed in the score. The Nets put together a solid first half on both ends and went into halftime with a 44-43 lead and looked to be more physical than Atlanta.
The second half started with more good play from NJ although the three point shots would not fall (6-26) and as all Nets fans know – if the three pointers don’t go then it is very difficult for this team to win without big man Brook Lopez. Deron Williams (20-8-4) led the charge in the third quarter and the Nets continued to rebound better than Atlanta and went on a 16-2 run to end the third and had a 69-62 lead heading into the ominous 4th quarter. NJ has blown a ton of leads in the 4th this year and especially this past week when they lost multiple leads and lost each game. This is turning into a real problem for the Nets as they have given at least ten games away this year with extended droughts in the 4th. Atlanta buckled down defensively and took the all important final period 31-15 behind a huge game from Josh Smith (30-12) and the Nets once again could not buy a bucket in the 4th and so another winnable game went by the boards. Humphries (17-8) and Wallace (8-9-6) did their best to handle the frontline of Atlanta but Wallace had a horrible night shooting the ball and ended up 3-14 but his defense never wavered and it is a wonderful sight to see the Nets get something from the SF position. The losing streak is now at 5 games and the Nets hope to change that tonight with the Bobcats coming in.
Billy King spoke to reporters about the status of Brook Lopez and he told the media that he will be out at least another two weeks when a CT scan revealed a line on previous foot fracture.
The Nets play tonight at the Prudential Center @7:30pm
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