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Williams, Nets edge Hawks

Jan 19, 2013 - 4:38 AM Brooklyn, NY (Sports Network) - Deron Williams continued his amazing free throw shooting and the Brooklyn Nets got revenge for a loss earlier this week in Atlanta with a 94-89 triumph over the Hawks.

Williams, who led the way with 24 points and seven assists, and went 7-of-7 at the charity stripe, has made 47 straight foul shots. Brook Lopez compiled 20 points and six rebounds, and he came up with a key block in the closing minute. Former Hawks player Joe Johnson scored 18 for the Nets, who have won seven straight home games. Reggie Evans had 20 rebounds for Brooklyn, which also snapped a six-game slide against the Hawks.

The Nets, who lost at Atlanta, 109-95 on Wednesday, moved to 10-2 under interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo. That's the second-best start for a coach in franchise history.

The Hawks, losers in seven of their last nine games, were led by Jeff Teague's 21 points and 10 assists. Devin Harris scored 17 in defeat.

Hawks guard Lou Williams suffered a sprained right knee with 7:12 left in the second quarter when his knee buckled without contact while he was attempting a fast-break layup. He was helped to the locker room by use of a wheelchair.

Josh Smith's dunk with 1:02 left capped a streak of seven straight points for the Hawks, getting them within 90-89.

Deron Williams, though, made four free throws over the final 43.4 seconds. With the Nets holding a 3-point edge, Teague rolled to the hoop, but his shot was swatted away by Lopez with 28.9 seconds left. Deron Williams then sealed the outcome at the foul line.

"Transition defense has to be a focus for us," Lopez said. "I think we did a much better job. We didn't completely eliminate their transition buckets, but we did a much better job of defending them."

The game was tied at 29 after the opening 12 minutes, and was even at the half at 49. The teams continued to play at close quarters in the third with the contest square at 74 going to the fourth.

"This was really a hard fought ball game," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "I thought my guys really hung in there after we lost Williams in the first half."

The Hawks also played without Al Horford (hamstring/calf injuries).

Game Notes

Friday night marked Nets official scorer Herb Turetzky's 1,200th consecutive game worked and his 1,887th game overall for the team. The streak began 29 seasons ago in May of 1984. He's in his 46th season as the Nets' official scorer ... Smith had 12 points and nine rebounds ... Despite Deron Williams' foul shooting, the Nets made just 25-of-38 from the charity stripe.