The Atlanta Hawks got out to a hot start in game 5 against the Brooklyn Nets, taking a 33-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Hawks kept this lead throughout most of the game, but in the fourth quarter, the Nets started to comeback. The Nets had a huge 17 point comeback, and they were down by as little as one point in the last 5 minutes of the game. The Hawks were not going to let the Nets win though, as they finished the game on a 10-2 run. The Hawks won game 5 107-97, taking a 3-2 series lead over the Nets in a series that has been much closer than anticipated.
DeMarre Carroll was the Hawks leading scorer tonight, as he scored a game high 24 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and DeMarre also had two steals for the Hawks. Al Horford and Jeff Teague hit a couple of big buckets down the stretch, and they both finished the game with 20 points. Al rebounded very well tonight, as he had 15 rebounds. Jeff had a solid night passing the ball, assisting his teammates on 8 passes. He also played well defensively, recording 3 steals in the win. Kyle Korver scored 17 points tonight, and he made 5 of his 12 threes for Atlanta.
The Nets top player was Alan Anderson, who scored 23 points off of the bench while shooting 9-11 from the field, and not missing any of his 4 three point attempts. Jarrett Jack scored 18 points off of the bench, and assisted on 6 passes. Joe Johnson also scored 18 points for the Nets, and he grabbed 9 rebounds.
The Nets bench players played well tonight, but the Hawks starters played even better. The Hawks take control of the series as they just need to win one more game to move on to the second round. Game 6 will be played in Brooklyn, where Atlanta lost games three and four. The Nets will be fighting hard not to be eliminated in game 6 on Friday, but look for the Hawks to come out playing as they did tonight and knock the Nets out of the playoffs.
