NBA Special: Devin Harris Sparkles, New Jersey Nets Wins at home to Atlanta Hawks
Devin Harris scored game-high 22 points, eight assists, and six rebounds to lead New Jersey Nets to an 89-82 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at the Prudential Center, in
the presence of 11,295 basketball fans.
One game after being beaten by the defending champions, the Nets were not about to have a letdown.
Brook Lopez posted 16 points, while Stephen Graham and Sasha Vujacic contributed 10 points apiece for the Nets in their just eighth victory of the season.
Mike Bibby tried his level best at Atlanta’s end and ended with team-high 19 points. Josh Smith and Al Horford each logged 15 points and 10 boards in Hawk's third defeat
in the last four games.
Game Story
The New Jersey Nets ramped up a tenacious defense, limiting turnovers, nailing every available shot as they clawed their way back to exert tremendous pressure on a crumbling
Hawk's defense. In the face of a vicious onslaught, Atlanta seemed to be in deep trouble.
Turnovers (16 each) played a very vital role in the outcome of this game. After making 14-of-22 shots in the first quarter, the Hawks shot just 28.8 percent from the field
and the Nets took full advantage of the situation and handled the situation in a fantastic manner.
As usual, the Hawks started the game with full energy but lost the magnitude after first half of the game. Harris scored nine points in the first half of the first quarter
for Nets, even then, Atlanta played the first part aggressively and help build a quick lead of 7-point, heading into second.
In the second quarter, the Hawks seemed to move away from the motion. Maintaining an advantage of 30-23 after the first quarter, the Atlanta held only three field goals
in the second stanza, allowing the Nets to pull even, 43-43, at the intermission.
New Jersey and Atlanta began the third quarter at a crisp pace, using 19 possessions apiece, heading into the final phase of the game.
The fourth quarter was the crucial part therefore both of the teams traded buckets to start the fourth, keeping the game tied, and 64-64, before New Jersey had fantastic
seven straight points to jump ahead for good.
Troy Murphy's deep jumper and two free throws of Harris pushed the Nets lead to 80-70 with 4:16 to go in the final buzzer.
On his mental state against the Hawks, Harris said, "Shoot. Just Shoot."
With 15.2 seconds to go, the closest the Hawks got to make the score respectable one was 87-82 after two Joe Johnson free throws. However, Jordan Farmar caught fire at very
right time and sealed the win with two at the stripe shortly thereafter.
Shining Star
Shooting guard Stephen Graham started his second game for the Nets and recorded a season-high 10 points on 5-8 from the floor.
Poor Performance
The crown of the Atlanta’s 12th defeat of the season goes to the nasty performances by the two key starters, Josh Smith and Joe Johnson. They combined to shoot
7-25 from the floor for Hawks.
Smith also picked up two fouls in the first 48 seconds of the game, which put him pace for 96 fouls per 48 minutes.
Sasha Vujacic’s Lucy Shoes
Vujacic is restless about his funky shoes which he wore shoes with Lakers colors during his Prudential Center debut. Discussing the wait for his Nets-colored shoes, Vujacic
said, "I can put it on the record that I'm still waiting for them to ship it out, so hopefully I'll get them for the next home game."
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