Paul Millsap went 4-for-4 on three-point shots and led the Hawks in points to close out Game 2.
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The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs to move to 2-0 in the series.
The Hawks took an early lead in the game thanks to a long stretch of unanswered scoring that included a booming dunk from G Jeff Teague:
But after holding the lead against the Hawks for a mere 17 seconds in Game 1, Mason Plumlee gave the Nets their first big lead of the game on a slam dunk of his own.
But while the Nets were able to keep that league longer than they did in Game 1, the Hawks took it back soon after with a 3-point shot by G Kyle Korver before halftime.
In the second half, Nets G Jarrett Jack – who played significantly better than All-Star Deron Williams in the game – got on a roll that led to a game-best 23 points. Jack’s performance included this long-shot point shot that cut their second half deficit.
But it wouldn’t be enough as the Hawks widened the gap on an incredible performance by F Paul Millsap, who led the Hawks with 19 points and a game-best 4 successful 3-point attempts.
The Nets, meanwhile missed shot after shot for the better part of the fourth quarter, and their hopes of getting closer were dashed on a bizarre ball wedging late in the game.
Down two in the final 30 seconds of the game, struggling G Deron Williams had a chance to give the Nets a tie. But his 16-foot shot fell short, sealing the win for the Hawks.
For the Nets, the emergence of Jarrett Jack in 28 minutes to lead the team with 23 points could prove fortuitous if they decide to bench either the struggling Deron Williams or fellow G Bojan Bogdanovic. Williams and Bogdanovic combined for just 10 points in the game despite playing 28 and 33 minutes respectively. Williams went 1-of-7 on FGs and missed both of his three-point shots. Jack, on the other hand, went 9-of-13 and made 2-of-5 three-point shots.
As for the Hawks, four members of their starting five had double digit points on the day, with Millsap leading the team with 19 points, including a team-leading 7 FGs and a perfect 4-for-4 on three-point shots. C Al Horford recorded a double-double with 13 rebounds and 14 points. Guards Kyle Korver and Jeff Teague recorded 17 and 16 points respectively. F DeMarre Carroll struggled in Game 2 after a strong Game 1, going just 1-of-8 on FG attempts and 0-of-5 on three-point shots – just two points on the day despite playing for just under 34 minutes.
With the win, the Hawks improve to 2-0 against the Nets in the series and will head to Brooklyn for the next two games of the series.
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