Nets fall in overtime to Hawks for third straight loss

ATLANTA — Cam Johnson sat for a while in the Nets’ locker room Wednesday. His knees were wrapped and he had taken fluids for cramps a few minutes before on the bench.

The Nets were collectively exhausted Wednesday. They rallied from a 15-point first half deficit to force overtime only to see the Hawks — equally tired from playing Tuesday — snatch away a 147-145 win at State Farm Arena.

They played most of the game fighting uphill thanks to trailing by as many as 15 points in the first half. The Nets trailed 121-113 with 4:33 left in regulation before storming back. Mikal Bridges dueled Trae Young in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Young had the final say on a go-ahead jumper with 18 seconds left. Bridges’ potential go-ahead layup with 8.1 seconds left was blocked by Onyeka Okongwu and Young finished the game with three free throws to extend the Nets’ losing streak to three games.

Young had 43 points and nine assists. Bridges had 45 points, matching his career-high, but was well guarded on the final play as Lonnie Walker IV’s shot missed at the buzzer.

“That’s just a part of basketball. You give them credit for having a big in the game that’s a rim protector. Good play,” coach Jacque Vaughn said.

“I thought Mikal’s will tonight to try to get us to win was exceptional. The plays that he made, high level, and you only can be in those situations and learn from it if you’re in those situations.

Bridges made a jumper with 28.5 seconds left in overtime that put the Nets up 143-142. But his focus was on the four missed layups he had in the extra period.

Another Bridges miss could’ve been even costlier in regulation but with 3.3 seconds left, Cam Johnson tipped the miss in for a 131-130 lead. Yet the Nets (6-8) had to hold their breaths when Young was fouled with one second left by Spencer Dinwiddie.

Young missed the first free throw but made the second. Bridges missed a potential game-winner as overtime awaited.

“Just got to make them,” said Bridges, who scored 25 combined points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

“I missed some easy ones, some layups I should have made that’s going to haunt me a day or two. But yeah, just got to make them.”

The Nets didn’t help themselves in the first quarter giving up 45 points, including a 13-0 run at one point, to a Hawks team that scored 152 points the night before. Young made six three-pointers in the period.

It forced the Nets to play from behind nearly the entire game. The extra effort took its toll as Johnson, who had 23 points, played through muscle cramps in overtime.

Dinwiddie had 26 points and added 12 assists.

Bridges also had 10 rebounds while Claxton had a team-high 12 to go with 22 points.

“We just had to keep fighting,” Bridges said of the second-half rally.

“That was just everybody in the huddle. Coaches, players, just got to keep going. There’s no quit. And we just kept fighting and fighting and almost had it.”

“I think it’s just on us to kind of limit those runs that they get,” Johnson added.

“And you know, maybe take more of those on our own so we can have the lead most of the game instead of trying to claw from behind.”

Young finished with eight three-pointers for the Hawks while De’Andre Hunter had 25 points and 11 rebounds. Dejounte Murray added 20 points. Clint Capela scored 14 points with 15 rebounds for Atlanta (7-7).

The 292 combined points left fans as drained as Johnson was sitting at his locker. Yet while Hawks fans had reason to smile, the Nets return home for five games searching for answers and better chemistry

“We just got to figure out defensively what team we’re trying to be and figure out what we can do to not give up 147 points,” Bridges said.

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.