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Dinwiddie gets the call he’s been waiting for as Nets defeat Hawks, 110-105

By Anthony Puccio
Brooklyn Nets v Atlanta Hawks Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images

It was the call they’ve been waiting for.

The Nets found themselves in another tight game down the stretch. Atlanta had a one-point lead with less than 30 seconds remaining. The Nets made a stop and Spencer Dinwiddie was out on the races – going coast-to-coast – and getting that call. No hesitation. No charge.

It may very well have been a moment of rejoicing and maybe relief for Dinwiddie who’s had his fair share of issues with the officiating the past couple of games.

He missed the free throw but jumped in the lane, grabbed the offensive board and hit two other free throws to put Brooklyn up by three with 11 seconds left.

The Nets forced a turnover on the ensuing possession and closed this one out with a wide-open Caris LeVert dunk off the in, 110-105.

Bottom line beyond the call, Nets were down five with 2:30 to go in the fourth and pulled out a road win!

Early on, the Nets played their style of ball and matched a season-high with 10 3-pointers in the first half. Quincy Acy hit three of them, while Dinwiddie dictated the tempo and inched near a triple-double, which he barely missed. They shot well from deep, but shot just 8-of-20 on two-pointers.

It was a three-point halftime lead -- tie game entering the fourth. After shooting 10-of-21 from 3-point in the first half, the Nets shot just 1-of-9 in the third. They took a 10-point lead but failed to get over the hump in large part due to Dennis Schroder, who had 23 points through three quarters and finished with 34.

Then, it became the Caris LeVert and Jahlil Okafor show in the fourth. Okafor scored 11 of Brooklyn’s first 14 points in the fourth quarter. Indeed, he was the only source of offense when he was in the game and finished the night with a season-high 17 points in 12 minutes, 6-of-8 shooting. It was the most he’d scored in an NBA game since March 14 of last season, when he went for 22.

Okafor set the tempo and Dinwiddie sealed the deal. Dinwiddie logged his fourth career double double – one rebound shy of a triple double with 20 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in 30 minutes, one short of the first triple-double by a Brooklyn Net.

After two games early the week when the Nets lost following controversial no-calls, Dinwiddie finally got the call he’s been waiting for.

The Nets shot 13-of-34 from 3-point on the night, but had to grind their way to the victory. They forced 18 turnovers and scored a season-high 33 points off those turnovers.

Dennis Schroder was vital for Atlanta, scoring 34 points and seven assists in 32 minutes. The Hawks remain in last place in the Eastern Conference. For the Nets, they’re now 16-26 and snap a 3-game losing streak.

They’ll face Washington on Saturday night in the second half of a back-to-back where they’re 2-6 this season. But progress is their most important product.

DEMARRE RETURNS, DLO S0:0N

Following the Nets-Celtics game, DeMarre Carroll had many worried with a non-contact injury to his knee. He was assisted off the court in serious pain, but the Nets announced it was only a sprain. Two games later, Carroll was back in the lineup doing what he does by being Brooklyn’s swiss army knife. He finished with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, four steals with three 3-pointers.

As for D’Angelo Russell – the return is looming. He’s been out since November 11 when he suffered a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery. Russell lipped the words, “two weeks” to Boston’s Kyrie Irving when the teams met on New Year’s Day. That would indicate Monday against the Knicks on MLK Day. We’ll find out shortly.

DINWIDDIE SCORING SURGE

Over the last five games, Dinwiddie has scored 97 points, 19.8 per game ... and that includes a two-point outing in the Pistons blowout. He’s also averaging 6.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds.

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