Deron Williams, Nets fail to convert late in Game 2; lose 96-91

The opportunity was there for the taking. The game was filled with a good amount of chances for Brooklyn to take over and steal a game on the road, but they failed to convert when they needed to and because of so, they lost, 96-91.

Brooklyn trailed by two with 27 seconds remaining. Joe Johnson attacked the hole and kicked the ball to a wide-open Deron Williams in the corner. Williams got the defender in the air, took a step in, and missed the potential game-tying bucket. The ball was halfway down when it rimmed out. It epitomized Williams' night and almost career as a Brooklyn Net: A huge disappointment.

It wasn't even just his poor offense and inability to step up to the big moment. He went for two points, eight assists and 10 rebounds on 1-of-7 shooting but Lionel Hollins defended him post game, noting that he had big assist and rebound numbers even if he didn't score, adding that he defended well ... although it appeared Jeff Teague had his way most of the game.

He will make $19,754,465 this season.

The Nets now trail the Hawks 2-0 in the series and have lost all six games the teams have played this season. Unfortunately, there's no award for moral victories.

Game recap:

Williams watched the Nets, led by his backup Jarrett Jack, take control of the game in the second quarter. Brooklyn's deficit was as high as 10 in the first quarter, but Jack came in and scored six points in just one minute of action.

It carried over into the second quarter. Jack hit four straight shots as the Nets found their largest lead of the series at six after a 12-0 Brooklyn run. They looked like they were inside the heads of Atlanta, namely Jack who scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first half. Brook Lopez finished Game 1 with seven shots. He finished the first half with seven shots.

The Hawks finished the third quarter on a 15-6 run and built their lead back up to eight. However, the Nets went on a 10-2 run late in the fourth quarter and eventually cut the deficit back down to one with one minute remaining. The opportunities were there and Atlanta shot 39% from both the field and from three. That won't happen often this series. And if it does, the Nets better take advantage next time.

The Hawks struggled as a whole from the field, but received major contributions from Paul Millsap (19 points), who nailed all four of his 3-point attempts. He struggled in Game 1 due to a shoulder injury but appeared to be just fine Wednesday night.

The Nets shot 45% from the field and 31% from three, but once again -- turnovers killed them. They coughed the ball up 16 times, leading to 19-Atlanta points.

Jarrett Jack was the main force for Brooklyn. The offense was extremely stagnant before Jack checked in late in the first quarter, but he immediately took over the game. He finished with 23 points, five rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes. If Williams continues to struggle and Jack continues to thrive, it should be very interesting to see what Hollins does with their minutes.

Next up was Brook Lopez. After attempting only seven shots Sunday, Lopez went 8-for-15 and scored 20 points & seven rebounds to go along with three blocks. Lopez worked nicely with Joe Johnson (19 points, 9 rebounds), but neither took the final shot for Brooklyn. . Alan Anderson also chipped in 13 points in 20 minutes off the bench.

Jeff Teague, Al Horford, and Kyle Korver all looked to be in sync as per usual. Teague kept the Brooklyn defenders honest with his blistering fast speed. He's been able to drive, shoot, or kick whenever, wherever he wants.. He ended the night with 16 points & six assists.

Despite a fracture in his pinky, Al Horford torched the Nets' D with 14 points, 13 rebounds & seven assists. Sharpshooter Kyle Korver chipped in 17 points and four steals.

Bojan Bogdanovic got the start for Markel Brown and it didn't exactly pay off. Bogdanovic played 34 minutes and shot just 3-of-9 from the floor. Brown didn't even play a single minute. Thaddeus Young also struggled, finishing the game on the bench after a 1-for-7 shooting night.

Here was the final play: