“We just can’t let our shot-making affect our overall game and our defense, and I feel like that’s what’s been happening. We’ve been missing shots that we usually make, and sometimes it can affect our overall game,” said Dorian Finney-Smith at Thursday’s shootaround prior to the first of two pivotal homes games against the Atlanta Hawks.

And really, “pivotal” may be underselling it. The Nets entered Thursday’s game trailing the Hawks by four games for the East’s 10-seed, AKA the final Play-In Tournament. Snagging a spot in the Play-In represents Brooklyn’s last hope to save a downtrodden season; if their season doesn’t come down to this two-game set vs. Atlanta, it damn sure comes close.

Finney-Smith was preaching the right message, but to win such an important game, the Nets would need to make some shots. In their last two losses — in Minnesota and Orlando — Brooklyn couldn’t crack 90 points. No amount of grit and defensive effort can make up for that in 2024; after all, the Nets have had the league’s fifth-best half-court defense…

Finney-Smith’s gospel, however, would not be tested on Thursday night. Brooklyn didn’t just make shots, they ripped the cords to shreds right from the opening tip.

Cam Johnson’s special night began early, hitting his first three triples before the game’s first timeout, galloping around the court with a fervor that’s been mostly absent since the 2023 playoffs which in case you forgot he averaged 18.5 points on 51/43/86 splits. A dozen first-quarter points ended up as 29 on 10-of-15 shooting, including seven 3-pointers.

When asked about his hot start, Johnson was eager to re-direct the focus to the team: “It felt good, just the way we played felt right, you know what I mean? Everybody’s intention and focus, attention to detail, attention to the scout, it felt like it was in the right place.

He didn’t just stand around the arc and wait for the ball to find him, though he (and his teammates) did that too. Rather, he played the game Nets fans have been expecting since signing a four-year deal last offseason: cutting, throwing a lob in the pick-and-roll, and getting to the rim in transition…

“Like I tell you guys all the time, all you’re looking for is a little rhythm,” said Johnson. “Rhythm and feel of the game. You know, it slows it down for you, anytime you’re in your comfortable spaces, your comfortable roles, it slows the game down for you, and you’re able to process quicker, more efficiently and sometimes good results follow that.”

The Nets led 34-16 after a first quarter that the Hawks did not take too seriously. The visitors threw the ball away on 2-on-1 fast-breaks and frequently lost shooters like Johnson and Mikal Bridges, not to mention their own lack of shot-making.

And yet, the Hawks had cut it to 56-50 by halftime. Dejounte Murray, ex-future-Net, had scored 20, hitting tough shots in the half-court and getting to the rim in transition. His supporting cast left something to be desired, but with the Nets cooling off and an even rebounding/turnover battle, Murray had made it a ballgame.

For a minute.

Brooklyn poured it on in the second half, led by Johnson and Dennis Schröder, who’d finish with 23/8/7 on 5-of-7 from three. His big night was defined by timely shot-making, particularly in an 11-point third quarter. Every time Atlanta cut Brooklyn’s lead from the teens to single-digits, Schröder was there with a response…

Said Johnson of his point guard: “Obviously the stats show that he played great, but there was a lot of other things that he did that don’t show up on the stat sheet, just being in the right spots, guarding, and understanding coverages that kind of come with time, but he did a great job today.”

And while Bridges finished with just 15 points after a ten-point first quarter, he played one of his better offensive games in some time. Like opponents before them, the Hawks often threw two defenders at Bridges on ball-screens. On Thursday, however, Bridges and his teammates diced those aggressive coverages up.

The ex-Sun only posted five assists, but didn’t turn the ball over once and tallied quite a few hockey assists…

“We just told Mikal when he gets two in his space, his job is done,” said Kevin Ollie. “Find an open man, and then we’ll play behind that … that’s a great job of the team, they retain it, and then they transfer it to the game. So that was great to see and that means we’re growing.”

While the Nets never quite solved their season-long problem of creating offense at the rim, their scorching, 22-of-46 performance from deep was no fluke. Just about every attempt was a rhythmic catch-and-shoot, and their 30:9 assist:turnover ratio more than matched the eye test.

Brooklyn pulled away in the third quarter, and poured it on in the early fourth. Even Day’Ron Sharpe got in on the action, hitting back-to-back triples of his own on his way to 12/8/4….

“I knew he was geeked, I know he was,” teased Bridges. “I was geeked for him, though. But he can shoot, so that’s him showing and displaying it out there. You know, sometimes when he gets the opportunity, he might be a little tired and that’s when it might not hit the rim.”

It was that type of night for the Nets, who did not offer proof of Finney-Smith’s wisdom. Perhaps the shot-making came first, perhaps the defense did.

Atlanta finished just 8-of-28 from three, which ensured Brooklyn’s wire-to-wire victory. They played Murray straight up, either switching or going over ball-screens, but never sending two to him, daring his fellow Hawks to beat them. The strategy worked; no other Hawk scored more than 14 (Jalen Johnson, on 14 true-shooting attempts).

We cannot throw out Brooklyn’s dismal season prior to this point. The win moved them to a still-ugly 23-36, still three games behind the Hawks with another matchup on the way.

But Thursday’s matchup with the Hawks marked the true beginning of Brooklyn’s stretch-run, and they started it off with a picture-perfect win.

“I just feel like we have to put that urgency from here on out on the rest of the season,” said Johnson. “It’s unfortunate, but we dug ourselves a hole, and it’s not what we think our group is capable of. So we have to find a way out of that and maybe do a little bit extra. Tonight is just the start, it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t follow it up.”

Final Score: Brooklyn Nets 124, Atlanta Hawks 97

Milestone Watch

We have team and individual milestones befitting a dominant, feel-good Brooklyn win.

• With Brooklyn’s 22 threes compared to Atlanta’s eight makes, this is just the sixth time in franchise history that the Nets made 14+ more 3-pointers than their opponent.
• Dennis Schröder tied his season-high with eight rebounds, and scored 23 points for the first time this calendar year.
• Cam Johnson’s seven made 3-pointers match the most he’s made as a Net, and the second-most in his career. His 29 points are also a season-high.

Ollie praises DSJ

Head Coach Kevin Ollie went out of his way to praise backup point guard Dennis Smith Jr. after the win. His comments follow Smith Jr.’s visible frustration after Brooklyn’s last win — a road contest against the Memphis Grizzlies in which DSJ saw only a handful of minutes…

“I really want to give some kudos, some praise to Dennis Smith Jr.,” said Ollie on Thursday night. “It’s been kind of tough for him the last couple of games, he came in and spelled Dennis [Schröder] because Dennis [Schröder], you know, been playing a lot of minutes, and he just did a great job down the stretch leading our team, talking, and being a great point guard, getting back to what we know Dennis Smith Jr. can do. And that’s defense, and that’s getting out on the break, running our team.”

Frank Isola was quick to contextualize Ollie’s comments on YES Network’s postgame show.

Next Up

Let’s do it all over again and see if the Brooklyn Nets are really serious about saving their season. The next home tip-off against the Atlanta Hawks is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.