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Hawks look to bounce back from first loss at Nets

Nov 14, 2008 - 11:27 AM Atlanta (6-1) at New Jersey (2-5), 7:30 p.m. EST

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- The Atlanta Hawks may no longer be unbeaten, but the team has shown it has improved.

Atlanta looks to rebound from its first loss when it visits the New Jersey Nets in the first half of a home-and-home series on Friday.

Paul Pierce drained a 20-foot jumper with less than a second to play on Wednesday as the Boston Celtics handed Atlanta a 103-102 setback. Marvin Williams had made a go-ahead 3-pointer with seven seconds left before Pierce's shot.

The Hawks, who were the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference last season, were off to their best start since they won their first 11 games to begin the 1997-98 campaign.

New Jersey comes in on a three-game losing streak and has dropped five of six.

Vince Carter had 28 points and seven assists as the Nets were defeated, 98-87, by the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

The Hawks, who lost three of the four meetings last season, host the Nets on Saturday.