Nic Claxton and the Nets couldn’t stop Trae Young when it mattered most Wednesday in Atlanta, suffering a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Hawks. AP Photo by Hakim Wright Sr.
The Brooklyn Nets may have some digestion issues when they sit down to feast on Thanksgiving Day.
One second away from averting a third consecutive defeat Wednesday night in Atlanta, the Nets instead had to watch Trae Young torch them for 14 of his season-high 43 points during overtime en route to a gut-wrenching 147-145 loss to the Hawks in front of 17,340 fans at State Farm Arena.
Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges matched a career best with 45 points, but ultimately lost a spectacular duel with Young down the stretch.
“We gotta figure out what we can do to not give up 147 points,” lamented Bridges, who misfired on a 17-footer at the regulation buzzer that could have settled matters much earlier.
After trailing by as many as 15 points, the Nets (6-8) finally appeared on the verge of heading back to Barclays Center with their record back at .500 and eager to dig into some turkey before they open a five-game homestand vs. Miami on Saturday.
But Young, who put up 38 points in Atlanta’s 157-152 loss to visiting Indiana a night earlier, refused to let his team suffer the indignity of an 0-4 homestand.
“When I have a chance to put my team ahead and win the game, you don’t want to let your teammates down,” said Young, who hit a free throw with one tick remaining in regulation to forge a 131-131 tie before scoring all but two of the Hawks’ points in the extra session.
He answered Bridges’ 13-foot pull-up with a 19-foot jumper and nailed an eye-popping 35-footer before Bridges evened the game again at 138-138 on a 3-pointer.
Spencer Dinwiddie converted a three-point play to put Brooklyn back in front, but Young made a pair from the free-throw…
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