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Make that TWO! Young's late-game heroics put Nets over Hawks, 90-88

By Anthony Puccio
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

BROOKLYN -- Make that TWO wins for the Nets this season! We like to think around here that more is better than less, especially with no draft picks...

Turning the corner? Too early for that. But the Nets played another damn good game against a playoff team. They defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 90-88, behind the late-game heroics from Thaddeus Young.

They also did it in front of a Barclay's record-low attendance of 12,241. You wouldn't have been able to tell by how loud it was after Young's big play, though.

Here's how it went:

It was a close one throughout. The Hawks led by 10 at one point, but the Nets didn't give up - a recurring theme with this team, just like Brook Lopez told reporters on Monday.

It came down to the final minute. The Nets led 86-85, but Thabo Sefolosha nailed a corner three to go up two. How could you not think, here we go again...

Jarrett Jack answered with a quick jumper and the game was tied. On the other end, the Hawks brought the clock as low as they could. Dennis Schroder drove to the paint, but Brook Lopez stepped up and blocked his shot.

Down raced Thaddeus Young and the Nets. They weren't calling timeout. Instead, Thad drove hard and took a bad foul from Kyle Korver with .9 left. Thad sunk the free throws and then deflected the following inbounds play from Atlanta.

"I thought I had a good matchup with Thaddeus Young," Sefolosha said. "Tried to bring it high, but Thaddeus got a hand on it. Good play on his part."

So after a pretty solid West coast trip, and now a win against Atlanta, is there some hope inside the Nets locker room? .

"It shows we can compete with these good teams, like we have done all season - go in and get a win," Lopez said after the game. "You know, we have to have that effort against every team every night and go get the win that we can get."

Lopez had himself a night again with 24 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. However, Young was the hero with 16 points, 11 rebounds and FIVE steals.

It was an extremely sloppy first half. The teams combined for 24 assists to 22 turnovers. It was looking ugly as the Hawks extended their lead to 10, but the Nets went on a 9-0 run and eventually tied the game before the end of the half. They hit on 6-of-10 three-pointers.

The Nets led by four heading into the fourth quarter. Shane Larkin was one of the VERY few players off the bench to step up. He scored 14 points on the night and shot 4-for-6 from three, making him 9 for his last 13 from downtown. Wayne Ellington was the only other player to score off the bench.

It was a rather odd night for the Nets. They hit on 9-of-20 from three despite Atlanta holding opposing teams to just 26 percent from downtown this season. The Hawks on the other hand, coughed the ball up 20 times opposed to just 22 assists.

Jarrett Jack stepped up again, finishing with 14 points and eight assists on 5-of-10 shooting. Again, when the Nets needed the big shot, Jack was ready to answer the call. Joe Johnson finished with a near triple double of 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. And Shane Larkin hit 4-of-6 three point attempts. He's now shooting 55.6% for the month from deep, 45.5 percent for the season ... despite those tiny hands.

For Atlanta, Al Horford led the team with 18 points and Paul Millsap chipped in 17.

"Literally everyone contributed, Lopez said." That's where we want to be. It's fantastic."

The Nets are now 2-9 on the season. They'll face the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday in Charlotte.

For more on the Atlanta Hawks, check our friends at Peachtree Hoops.

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