Nets 91, Hawks 86
Joe Johnson stung his former team.
The former Hawks player scored nine points late in the fourth quarter to lead the Nets to a 91-86 victory Monday night at the Barclays Center.
The Hawks (18-17) matched a season-high with their third straight loss. They fell to 2-4 since the season-ending injury to Al Horford.
Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 16 points each. Kyle Korver extended his NBA-record streak to 104 games with a 3-pointer.
Johnson drained a 3-pointer with six minutes remaining to start a 9-2 Nets run after the Hawks had taken a momentary 78-77 lead. It gave the Nets an 86-80 advantage the Hawks could not overcome late.
The Hawks pulled to within two points, 86-84, on a Teague 3-pointer. However, Mirza Teletovic sunk the Hawks with a 3-pointer with 44.6 seconds remaining.
The Nets (13-21) matched a season-best with their third straight win despite playing without Deron Williams.
Johnson led the Nets with 23 points.
The Hawks had a miserable third quarter as they let a six-point advantage disappear – quickly. The Nets scored the first 14 points of the third quarter. The Hawks’ first points came with 6:45 on three Korver free throws after they missed their first four shots and had five turnovers. The Hawks first field goal in the 15-point quarter came with 5:51 remaining on a Teague basket and foul. He missed the free throw.
The Hawks took a 52-46 lead into halftime after trailing by as many as eight points in the second quarter. They ended with half with an 11-0 run with Millsap scoring seven of the points. The first eight of the points came from the free-throw line. The Hawks outscored the Nets 31-19 in the second quarter to take the lead.
The teams will meet again in London on Jan. 16. The Hawks next host the Pacers on Wednesday.
About the Author
Chris Vivlamore is the sports editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has served as reporter and editor at the AJC since 2003.
