Atlanta @ Brooklyn preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 4, 2019 ) Brooklyn 130, Atlanta 118

Trae Young keeps turning heads with his level of play, but the Atlanta Hawks keep losing games. Young and the Hawks will try to end their latest slide at six in a row when they open a stretch with five of six on the road by visiting the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.

Atlanta put up strong efforts in close losses to Miami, Indiana, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz over the last six games but was also blown out at the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks, pushing it to the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks are 1-10 in their last 11 road games - a stretch that includes a 49-point loss at the Los Angeles Clippers, a 47-point loss at Houston, the 34-point setback at Chicago and the 23-point loss to the Knicks. The Nets suffered a 118-105 loss at San Antonio on Thursday but the mark down in the standings wasn't as important as the loss of guard David Nwaba, who suffered a torn right Achilles. "We can talk about the game, but I'm concerned about David Nwaba," Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters of his defensive stopper. "He hurt himself out there tonight and that's really where our thoughts are. He was playing as well as anyone on our team."

TV: 6 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), YES (Brooklyn)

ABOUT THE HAWKS (6-23): Young scored at least 30 points in each of the last three games and kept Atlanta in the game with big shots down the stretch in the 111-106 loss to the Jazz on Thursday. "It was good to see that, but it's just one game," Young told reporters of the Hawks being able to compete down the stretch. "We have to continue to do it. If we play that way, with that energy and effort, we're going to be able to turn things around and win a lot of games. If we play that way, good things are going to happen." Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce changed his starting lineup on Thursday, inserting rookies Cam Reddish and Bruno Fernando to go with rookie De'Andre Hunter and second-year pros Young and Kevin Huerter, giving the starters an average age of 21 years, 92 days.

ABOUT THE NETS (15-13): Nwaba joins a Brooklyn injury list that also includes All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, though Irving's spot is being filled quite capably by Spencer Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie scored a career-high 41 points in Thursday's loss and is averaging 25.3 in 17 games starting in place of Irving, leading the Nets to an 11-6 record in that span. "Spencer, credit to him," Nets center Jarrett Allen told reporters. "He's amazing going downhill. He's either draw the foul or get to the hoop at will. For anybody, just having to guard him (is tough)."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Hawks PF Jabari Parker moved back to the bench on Thursday and responded with 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 24 minutes.

2. Allen collected 19 points and 13 rebounds on Thursday for his sixth double-double in the last eight games.

3. Brooklyn took the last six in the series, including a 130-118 win at Atlanta on Dec. 4.

PREDICTION: Nets 121, Hawks 109