The return of Jeremy Lin from a hamstring injury has provided two wins for the Brooklyn Nets in the past six games. However, Lin's near double-double on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks was not enough to get the victory.
The 28-year-old point guard played just 24 minutes since he is still under restriction but he was able t put up 16 points and eight assists in the 110-105 loss, per NBA.com. He also added three rebounds and a steal while hitting three three-point shots.
Sean Kilpatrick, who played great during the absence of Jeremy Lin this season, had 27 points and four rebounds. Nets All-Star center Brook Lopez added 18 points, six rebounds and five blocks but the Hawks had too much firepower.
Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder, who caused a stir in their last game against the Golden State Warriors, torched Jeremy Lin and the Nets with 31 points, two rebounds, five assists and three steals. Paul Millsap had 24 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Atlanta-native and All-Star center Dwight Howard posted a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. The Hawks are struggling as of late and it still showed against the Nets and they better get their game together with just five weeks left in the regular season.
On the other hand, the Nets dropped to 11-52 for the season and they are on pace to have the worst record in the league. However, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson was happy about his team's performance against the Hawks despite the loss.
"We gave ourselves a chance. I just felt like we have to use our decision-making a little better at the end on the offensive end. We can compete in this league, and compete against a good team. We're playing well as a team," Atkinson told Newsday after the game.
Jeremy Lin will try to lead the Nets on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks. It will be the team's final stop on their eight-game road trip before heading home to Brooklyn and face the New York Knicks on March 12 at the Barclays Center.
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