The Atlanta Hawks seemed to be in complete control heading into the fourth quarter of Game 5 against the Brooklyn Nets, but as has been a trend all series, the Nets wouldn't die. Like Alan Anderson in the first half, Jarrett Jack caught fire in the fourth quarter and led Brooklyn back into the game, but Atlanta made enough plays when it mattered to come away with a 107-97 victory to take a 3-2 series lead.
Nets vs. Hawks results, NBA playoffs 2015: Atlanta holds off Brooklyn rally to earn 107-97 Game 5 victory
The Nets made another furious fourth-quarter rally, but the Hawks came up big in the final minutes to take a 3-2 series lead.
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The Hawks led by 12 points heading into the fourth quarter, but the Nets went on a 9-0 run to start the quarter to trim the margin to three. Atlanta looked all out of sorts on both ends of the floor, but Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver helped get the Hawks out of their funk with big threes:
Brooklyn kept coming back behind big plays by Jack, who scored 12 straight points in the fourth quarter. Then Joe Johnson took over the scoring reins, pouring in two moon-ball three-pointers to make it a two-point game.
That's when the Hawks shut the door. Atlanta closed the game on a 10-2 run, with Jeff Teague making some huge buckets to seal the deal:
Teague finished with 20 points and eight assists as all five Hawks starters scored in double figures. Al Horford had 20 points and 15 rebounds as he fought through his finger injury, and DeMarre Carroll led Atlanta with 24 points.
Anderson had 23 points off the bench to lead Brooklyn. Jack added 18 points off the bench in a game that didn’t look like it was going to be close at first.
Fresh off their disappointing losses on the road in Games 3 and 4, the Hawks came out with a purpose in this one. The ball zipped around on offense and the defense did a better job limiting the quality looks for Brooklyn. Atlanta shot over 58 percent in the first quarter and racked up nine assists, and the dominance on both ends of the floor led to a 17-point lead.
But similar to Games 1 and 2 when the Hawks got off to big starts at home, the Nets took the punch and punched right back with an 11-0 run to start the second quarter. Anderson’s strong play continued, as the veteran guard scored 14 points in the second quarter on 5-of-5 shooting. One of those makes was a four-point play that was basically a seven-point swing after Korver missed a good look from three on the other end.
The Hawks were able to stem the tide, though, taking a nine-point lead into halftime and holding a comfortable advantage throughout the third quarter. Korver found his three-point stroke again after a bit of a slump, and the lead was 12 heading into the final frame before the wild finish.
3 other things we learned
DeMarre Carroll and Alan Anderson are playing great at the right time
The idea of a battle royale between Carroll and Anderson sounds crazy, but the way those two had been playing throughout this series, it wasn’t all that surprising when one broke out in this game. Carroll has been enjoying a career year in advance of his unrestricted free agency, and his 24 points marked the third straight game he reached the 20-point mark. The man is going to get a nice chunk of change in the offseason.
Meanwhile, Anderson has a player option worth $1.3 million for next year, but he might be in line for a raise based on his current play. After making 9 of 11 shots in this game, he’s now at a ridiculous 23-of-31 for the series. That’s not a misprint.
Deron Williams turned back into a pumpkin
After scoring just five points combined in Games 2 and 3, Williams quieted his critics with a superb 35-point effort in the Nets’ overtime victory in Game 4. 16 of those points came in the fourth quarter as Brooklyn made an impressive comeback, with three points coming on an improbable three-pointer at the end of the shot clock. Unfortunately, the veteran point guard turned back into a pumpkin with a dud of an effort on Wednesday.
Williams finished with just five points on 2-of-8 shooting in 32 minutes, and he was invisible down the stretch as Jack took care of most of the ball handling duties. To be fair, Jack was on fire, but it was still disappointing to see Williams be such a non-factor after his big Game 4.
The Hawks’ bench is a problem
This has been a theme all series, but the Hawks' bench was mostly bad again. The poor play of Atlanta's reserves helped Brooklyn get back into the game after the starters built up that big early lead. Dennis Schroder was sloppy with the ball, Kent Bazemore couldn't make open shots and Mike Scott didn't do anything. Pero Antic gave some solid minutes, but that was about it for the bench. This might not kill the Hawks in this series, but it could be an even bigger problem moving forward.
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