ATLANTA _ The Nets did everything they could to kick away a win over the Hawks when they missed an epic 21 of 54 foul shots. But when former Net star Vince Carter missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer, the Nets counted themselves lucky to escape with a 114-112 victory Saturday night at State Farm Arena. It was their third straight win and left them in a virtual tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with the Pistons, who visit Barclays Center Monday night.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Nets pushed their lead to 88-79, but the Hawks responded with a 14-6 surge, including six points from John Collins, to cut the Nets' lead to 94-92 on a Trae Young layup with 6:54 left to play. Moments later, Young buried a 3 to tie the game at 97. That was the start of an 8-2 Hawks burst that gave them a 102-99 lead on a layup by 42-year-old Vince Carter with 4:43 left.
The Hawks' lead reached four points, but a three-point play by Jarrett Allen and a 3-point basket by D'Angelo Russell put the Nets back on top at 111-109. Two foul shots by DeMarre Carroll pushed their lead to four before the Hawks pulled within one on a John Collins layup with 1:03 to go.
