Hunter drops 23 as Hawks earn split with Nets, Harris

De’Andre Hunter had 23 points to lead six Atlanta players in double figures in a 114-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.

The 2019 UVA Basketball alum was 9-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-4 from three-point range for the Hawks (4-1).

Joe Harris, a 2014 UVA alum, had 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting for the Nets (3-3), who were awful from three in the loss – hitting just seven of their 37 shots from long-range.

“We were scrambling,” Harris said. “We know what we have to clean up.”

Kevin Durant led Brooklyn with 28 points. Kyrie Irving had 18, but was just 6-of-21 from the floor, and 2-of-11 from three.

Two nights earlier, in the first game of the two-game series between the two, the Nets had won a track meet-type game, 145-141, getting 33 from Durant, 25 from Irving and 23 from Harris, who was 8-of-11 from the field and 6-of-8 from three in the win.

Hunter had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Hawks in the Wednesday contest, shooting 4-of-13 from the floor.

Season numbers

• De’Andre Hunter: 14.2 ppg, 6.8 rebounds/g, 52.9% FG, 48.0% 3FG, 14.83 PER
• Joe Harris: 13.5 ppg, 4.0 rebounds/g, 50.0% FG, 51.5% 3FG, 14.92 PER

Through games played through Jan. 1

Story by Chris Graham