NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets (26-54) are nearing the end of a season that has been taxing in multiple ways, especially since the team returned from the All-Star Break. With their third-to-last game being against the Atlanta Hawks (38-42), Brooklyn had the chance to lock in and win in front of their fans the way they did on Tuesday, but they lost the chance early on.
The Nets lost to the Hawks 133-109 after a first quarter that saw Atlanta win the period 33-14 thanks to a combination of Brooklyn shooting poorly and rookie Zaccharie Risacher going off for 13 of his 38 points in the period. Jalen Wilson led the way for the Nets with 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists off the bench while Tosan Evbuomwan contributed 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists to the cause.
While Trae Young had a good game with 24 points and 12 assists, Risacher stole the show with the way that he was scoring in what could have been his bid to possibly win the Rookie of the Year award. With that being said, here are the Nets player grades following Thursday's loss to the Hawks:
Reece Beekman: D
Beekman saw another start as he has been for the past couple of games and aside from his inefficient shooting, he did a solid job of running the point guard spot. Due to a combination of being shell-shocked in the beginning of the game along with some poor shooting, the Nets were unable to get anything going on the offensive end of the floor. Beekman had some solid defensive moments against Trae Young, but Young found a way to score no matter what.
Keon Johnson: C-
Johnson returned to the lineup after being rested in the previous game and he looked like he was refreshed from having a game to sit. Johnson did a solid job of shooting the ball and he also made it his mission to get to the rim, leading to some nice finishes at the basket. Unfortunately for Johnson, he turned the ball over way too much and had trouble staying in front of his man without fouling.
Ziaire Williams: C
Williams did a solid job on the offensive end of not letting his game be limited to shooting threes and he had some nice moments of being able to attack a closeout to get to the mid-range. As a result of Williams being willing to put the ball on the floor, he was also able to get to the free-throw line, something that could make him a more effective offensive player if he is able to carry that over to next season, assuming that's in Brooklyn.
Trendon Watford: C-
Watford has had better games scoring for the Nets, such as Tuesday's win over the New Orleans Pelicans, but this game showed where he can struggle at times when facing a team with the kind of length that the Hawks have. To that point, Watford was undeterred from trying to get to the basket and he was rewarded with free-throws so that he was still producing on that end of the floor.
Nic Claxton: D
Of games where Claxton played close to 30 minutes, this had ...
