Nets 94, Hawks 89
BY JIM HAGUE
NEW YORK -- Deron Williams scored 18 of 24 points in the first half and made four clutch free throws in the final minute, leading the Brooklyn Nets to a 94-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Friday night at the Barclays Center.
The victory was the seventh straight home win for the Nets (24-16), who snapped a six-game losing streak to the Hawks dating to March 2011. The Hawks just defeated the Nets Wednesday in Atlanta.
It's the longest home win streak for the franchise since 2006. The win also pushed interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo's record to 10-2.
The Hawks (22-17) lost for the sixth straight time on the road and fell for the seventh time in their last nine games overall.
The Nets received 20 points from Brook Lopez, 16 of which came after halftime and 18 from Joe Johnson. They also got 20 rebounds from Reggie Evans.
The Nets had a 90-82 lead with two minutes left, but the Hawks sliced the lead to a single point after a thunderous slam dunk from Josh Smith in Lopez's face.
But Williams was fouled twice in the final minute and made all four free throws, giving him 47 straight free throws, to push the lead to 94-89.
The Nets went the final five minutes of the game without a field goal, yet still won the game. The Nets held Atlanta to just 5 of 22 shooting in the final period.
Jeff Teague led Atlanta with 21 points and 10 assists, while Devin Harris had 17 points against his former team.
Lopez, who had a fairly silent first half, scored the first four points of the second half with a fall-away jumper and a layup, while Williams went hard to the goal for a layup that gave the Nets a 55-49 lead.
Teague went coast-to-coast with a shot that was credited after Gerald Wallace knocked it aside for goaltending, tying the game at 58-58. Harris then went right to the hole for a layup that gave the Hawks a 60-58 lead, capping an 8-0 run.
Keith Bogans nailed a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left in the third quarter to tie the game for the 18th time at 74-74 heading into the final period.
The two teams traded the lead 14 times throughout the first half and each finished the half with a flurry.
Williams drove the length of the floor for a layup that gave the Nets a brief 49-47 lead with 28 seconds left. Williams scored 18 first-half points.
Then Zaza Pachulia made a brilliant pass low to Josh Smith, whose reverse layup tied the game at 49-49 at the half.
Former Net Harris had another fun time against his former club, scoring 11 points in the first half, including three shots from beyond the arc.
Andray Blatche paced the Nets in the second quarter for Brooklyn, scoring 11 points, including seven straight during an early stretch of the period.
NOTES: The reserves for the NBA All-Star Game won't be released until Thursday, with the league's coaches voting on the rest of the squad this weekend. Carlesimo said that he hadn't even looked at his ballot yet, but he knows one thing: He has three worthy candidates in guards Deron Williams and Joe Johnson and center Brook Lopez. "I think they're all really deserving," Carlesimo said. "We're one of the most improved teams in the league and we're playing well. I don't have a sense of how everyone else feels. I was disappointed when they changed the position criteria, because that hurt Brook." ... Carlesimo was asked about facing the Hawks in consecutive games. "It's easier when you play the same team. It makes preparation better. There's more of a carryover and more familiarity. It's almost like a playoff situation." ... The Nets welcomed PF Gerald Wallace back to the starting lineup. Wallace, who missed two games with bruised ribs and saw limited action against the Hawks Wednesday, was healthy enough to start. ... For the first time this season, the Nets listed no injuries. ... The Hawks were without former Nets Anthony Morrow and DeShawn Stevenson, both missing action Friday with sore knees. ... Jerry Stackhouse, still nursing a sore hamstring, and Toko Shengelia, were the Nets' inactive players. ... The Hawks, coming off a season-best 58 percent field goal shooting against the Nets Wednesday, made eight of their first nine attempts on Friday. ... Both teams lost players to injury during the game. Late in the first quarter, Nets guard MarShon Brooks grabbed his shoulder, went to the locker room and didn't come back. In the second quarter, Hawks guard Lou Williams pulled up as his right knee buckled in ugly fashion while on a breakaway layup. He hopped on one leg to a walkway, where he received treatment. Williams was in obvious pain. He was initially diagnosed with a right knee sprain and will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Atlanta.
