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Basketball Aggregated: Yahoo Sports NBA
8 min read • 8 Nov 2026

Nets let another one slip away, fall to Hawks in heartbreaking fashion

By: Top Tipper
Nets let another one slip away, fall to Hawks in heartbreaking fashion
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 07: Kingston Flemings #4 Julius Randle #30 of the Brooklyn Nets and Jalen Johnson #1 of the Atlanta Hawks anticipate the rebound during the first quarter at State Farm Arena on November 7, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Well, that one will sting.

For nearly 47 minutes, the Brooklyn Nets controlled the game against the Atlanta Hawks Saturday night in Georgia. After building a 17-point lead in the first quarter — it wasn’t always pretty — but the Nets didn’t trail until the final two minutes.

However, they couldn’t put it away when it mattered most and fell to Atlanta, 124-121. There were some positives, most notably Nolan Traore’s fast start and the late-game heroics from Mikel Brown Jr. as well as Day’Ron Sharpe’s first triple-double. All of that kept them in the game but ultimately, none of it changes the result, and Brooklyn is now 2-7, still struggling to close out matchups down the stretch.

Brooklyn couldn’t have asked for a much better start. They came out firing, putting up 37 first-quarter points to take a 37-27 lead. The Nets shot 73.7% from the field (14-of-19), including 6-of-10 from three, led by the fast-rising French point guard…

The ball movement was also on full display early, dishing out 11 assists on 14 made baskets. Eight different players found the scoring column, with the Nets building a lead as large as 17 before Atlanta started to chip away at the end of the frame.

Of course, it wasn’t going to be that easy for the rest of the game. By the end of the first, you could already feel Atlanta gaining some ground after an ugly first few minutes. In the second quarter, they trimmed their deficit to just four, at 70-66 entering the break. Turnovers became a big issue for the Nets, allowing the Hawks to stay in the game.

The Nets committed 11 turnovers in the first half, which gave the Hawks 15 points. As Jordi Fernandez noted post-game, it was a game long issue.

“We were not consistent enough to do the right things,” said the head coach And it’s not about making shots. It’s about, you know, trying to do the right things. Obviously, the points off turnovers, like I said before, this is a team that you know will pressure you. And we had 22 turnovers for 28 points. And that’s not acceptable. That’s where you lose the game.”

Brooklyn also got dominated in the paint, allowing a whopping 42 points on the inside compared to their 22. Atlanta put up 39 paint points in the second quarter alone.

Despite the turnovers, the Nets still scored at a high level. Michael Porter Jr. had 18 in the first half, while Nolan Traoré continued his excellent start to the season with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Day’Ron Sharpe also thrived as a facilitator, logging eight assists in the first half. He had set a career high with eight assists on Wednesday, and that number rose to 13 on Saturday, when he also came away with his first triple-double, logging 12 points and 10 rebounds. All positive, but…

The crazy part is that the Nets shot 65.7% from the field and 50% from three in the first half, yet still had just a four-point lead. When you turn the. ball over that many times, that’s what happens.

The Nets started to settle things down coming out of the locker room, though. They won the third quarter, 25-22, to take a 95-88 lead heading into the final frame. While the same level of offensive efficiency wasn’t there, Brooklyn’s defense became more consistent and prevented the Hawks from carrying their momentum into the second half.

The turnover issues remained prevalent for the Nets, as the total reached 16 through three quarters. However, they limited the damage on the defensive end. Fernández clearly made adjustments coming out of halftime, and those adjustments played a key role in Brooklyn retaining their lead.

Despite struggling offensively through the first three quarters and missing his first seven shots, Mikel Brown Jr. came up clutch in the fourth quarter with three huge shots from deep. After entering the final quarter with just five points, he finished with 18.

However, Fernandez decided against playing his two 20-year-olds together. While Brown Jr. was leading the charge, Traore sat on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. Was it defense or does the head coach have a problem playing the two together? Fernandez admitted he went with the hot hand — Brown Jr. — rather than play his two 20-year-olds together.

“I thought that Mikel had those five straight points, and I just let him roll. Because you cannot just keep taking them in and out.” he argued. “So I thought that that was the right thing to do. Was it right? I don’t know.”

No matter what the young Nets couldn’t finish.

While the game was back-and-forth throughout, the Nets didn’t give up their first lead until there was 1:26 left in the fourth quarter. The game hadn’t even been tied; Brooklyn led the entire time until then. After that, though, the Nets failed to score another point and fell 124-121. The Hawks, led by Jalen Johnson, closed the game with a 14-7 run.

Fernandez said that with such a young team, it’s a work in progress.

“I’m happy with what I’m seeing and the commitment and playing hard, and now the communication is way better,” he said. “It seems more like a connected group. We’re rebounding better, especially defensively. So, all those things are important. And it’s a testament to the work that the guys put in, the coaches, and getting one percent better every day.”

Saturday was a disappointing loss for the Nets. Going from up 17 and not down once to losing in the final two minutes is rough, and yet another example that Brooklyn’s young core is still developing and learning how to win games. The turnovers also continued to hurt them, as they committed six more in the final frame.

The encouraging element, of course, is Brown Jr.’s strong play, especially down the stretch. It’s the second time he’s really risen to the occasion in big moments, with last week’s loss to the Boston Celtics as another example before his rookie blunder cost them in overtime.

Final Score: Atlanta Hawks, 124, Brooklyn Nets, 121.

Milestone Watch

It was a big night for Day’Ron Sharpe. The 6’10” 25-year-old recorded his first career triple-double and the first triple-double ever by a Nets center. Sharpe finished with 12 points, 1o rebounds and 13 assists, the final figure also a record for Nets 5. It was also the Nets first triple-double in nearly a year. Nic Claxton who Sharpe replaced in the starting line up this season had a game of 14 points, 1o rebounds and 10 assists last December.

Next Up

The Nets will have a quick turnaround, heading to Dallas on Sunday to face the Mavericks in the second leg of their back-to-back. Dallas enters the matchup at 5-4, coming off a 112-100 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday.

After letting a golden opportunity slip away against Atlanta, the Nets will look to get back in the win column on Sunday. The question becomes: can Brooklyn put together a complete 48-minute performance to secure the victory? That’s what they’ve struggled to do most consistently this season.

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