Mikal Bridges scored a game-high 42 points and the Brooklyn Nets handled the Atlanta Hawks 124-107 on Friday, March 31. With the win, Brooklyn claimed the season series against Atlanta 3-1 and put themselves one step closer to a final guaranteed playoff spot as the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. Seeds 7-10 participate in a play-in round to determine the 7th & 8th seeds.
Bridges, who had his second 40-point performance in the last three games and third since joining the Nets back in February, scored 20 of his points in the first half with the Nets leading 59-55 at halftime. In the 3rd quarter Brooklyn outscored Atlanta 42-24 as Bridges scored 15 of his points and the Nets shot 62.5% from the floor and 5-11 from three, compared to the Hawks, which shot 55.6% from the floor and 2-8 from three. Brooklyn led by as many as 23 in the final quarter.
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn on Bridges’ progress game-by-game “I see him at shoot-around, I see him on days off, I see how he takes care of his body, I see him do film work so you expect it in the sense of he’s done the work so you can live with the result and he’s just gaining confidence with our group.”
Nic Claxton scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Brooklyn. Doriann Finney-Smith had 19 points for the Nets.
Dejounte Murray led Atlanta with 21 points in the losing effort. Hawks’ star player Trae Young, who averages 26.3 points per game, was held to 10 points for the night.
Brooklyn, on a two game winning streak, sits with a 42-35 record and hosted the Utah Jazz at home Sunday.
