NETS 93, HAWKS 91 (OT): Big lead and win streak blown

East Rutherford, N.J. —- A quick glance in the mirror this morning and the Hawks will get an eye-to-eye staredown with the culprit that ended their their six-game winning streak Fri-day night.

Sure, Vince Carter’s deep 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer capped the Nets’ stunning 93-91 comeback victory over the Hawks.

But the seeds for the home team’s comeback were planted by the Hawks, who played loose with a 20-point halftime lead and got burned by the Nets for the third time this season.

After holding the Nets to 29 points in the first half, the Hawks had no answer for the Nets’ second-half rush, which included Devin Harris taking over the action in the third quarter.

The Hawks also missed eight of their final 12 free throws, fumbling away every chance they had to regain control of the game in what turned out to be a disappointing first loss of the New Year.

“They just came out and punched us in the face after halftime, and we didn’t respond,” Hawks forward Marvin Williams said. “Being up that big at the half on the road, especially against a team that’s already beaten us twice this year … there’s no excuse and no explanation for something like that.”

The Hawks (21-11) almost slipped out of Izod Center with a win that they worked only half a game to get. Josh Smith converted a layup for a 91-90 lead with 11.4 seconds to play after he and Mo Evans combined for a steal and fast break with the Nets 91-89 with the possession of the ball.

But Carter didn’t squander the Nets’ last chance, even after the inbounds pass from Jarvis Hayes sailed over the half-court line, forcing Carter to chase the ball down and then dribble up the floor before swishing his shot over Smith.

“They played a totally different game in the second half, obviously,” said Smith, who inexplicably did not chase Carter or the ball on that inbounds play that led to the game-winning shot. “They went from not being able to hit a shot to hitting all sorts of shots, and the biggest shot of the game at the end.

“But they also pounded us on the boards [52-42], and they got some clutch second-chance points when they needed them.”

Both teams had chances to win the game in regulation and both of them came up short.

Joe Johnson’s baseline fadeaway jumper in the final seconds never made it to the rim, and the Hawks suffered a shot-clock violation with 3.6 seconds to play.

The Nets’ chance to finish the game ended with Carter’s jumper bouncing off the rim at the buzzer.

How the game even got to that point is the question the Hawks will struggle with today, though they’ll need to get over it quickly with Houston up next tonight at Philips Arena.

The Nets outscored the Hawks 32-20 in the third quarter to get back into the mix, using every bit of energy Harris (26 points and 11 assists), Carter (18 points) and their friends could muster to come back.

“They just came back and took it,” Johnson said. “The first half they were just cold, but the second half they came out and just took the game back. And it should have never even have come down to that.

“Plain and simple, we just lost this game.”

NEXT FOR HAWKS

> Who: vs. Rockets

> When: 7 p.m. today

> TV; radio: No TV; 790 AM