April 4, 2026, 10:39 a.m. ET

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets (18-59) had a tough matchup ahead of them on Friday with the Atlanta Hawks (45-33) visiting Barclays Center, especially given the Nets‘ injury situation. Brooklyn is still trying to finish this season on a strong note despite the injuries, but the lack of available rotation players made it hard for them to keep up with the Hawks.

The Nets lost to the Hawks 141-107 where Atlanta did not truly turn this contest into a blowout until the fourth quarter when Brooklyn couldn’t get anything going on either end of the floor. Center Nic Claxton led the way for the Nets with his 16 points and five rebounds while guard Malachi Smith had one of his best games of the season with 15 points and two rebounds.

Brooklyn faced an 18-point deficit in the first quarter before the bench, led by Smith, managed to cut the deficit to 35-25 heading into the second quarter. The Nets held their own in the second and third quarters as they found a way to match Atlanta’s offense, despite the fact that guard CJ McCollum went off for 25 points and seven assists in just over 25 minutes played.

Turnovers were the main issue for the Nets as they turned the ball over 20 times, leading to 35 points for a Hawks team that didn’t have trouble scoring at any point in this game. Forward Noah Clowney, who had a solid game with 12 points and four rebounds in just 20 minutes for the Nets, was ejected after picking up two technical fouls within two seconds of game time in between.

With that being said, the Nets fell apart in the fourth quarter to the tune of a 43-22 tally and in the middle of the period, the Hawks cleared their bench to give some of their younger players more minutes. Brooklyn is now in the midst of a two-game losing streak, but they should have a good chance of ending that streak on Sunday with a matchup against the Washington Wizards.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Malachi Smith Provides Bench Spark

Smith made his debut with the Nets on Mar. 14 when he signed his first 10-day contract with the team and while this game ended in a blowout, he had his best game since signing with Brooklyn. Smith finished the contest with 15 points and two rebounds while shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from behind the three-point line in just 17 minutes off the bench.

Nolan Traore Stuffs Stat Sheet

Traore has had his fair share of struggles during his rookie season, but he has also had some games where he has shown what he is capable of when he is focused and ready to play. Traore ended this game with one of his better stat lines of 13 points, two rebounds, four assists (two turnovers), and three steals in 29 minutes on the floor while going against CJ McCollum and Dyson Daniels.

Trevon Scott Makes Nets Debut

Scott, who signed his 10-day contract with the Nets on Thursday, made his Brooklyn and NBA debut on Friday after he entered the game towards the start of the fourth quarter. While entering the game for the first time with the game well out of hand can be a difficult scenario, Scott did a great job of playing with intensity as he had six points and two rebounds in just eight minutes of floor time.