ATLANTA — Mike Woodson loves when he can empty the bench and rest his starters for most of the fourth quarter.
The New Jersey Nets gave Atlanta's coach the perfect opportunity.
"Our guys came off the bench, and we
extended the lead," Woodson said. "The last three games it has been
that way. I hope we can keep it up."
Maurice Evans scored 22 points, and
Joe Johnson added 21 points with 10 assists to help the Hawks beat New
Jersey 130-107 on Sunday for their fourth straight win.
Devin Harris, who started despite a
sprained left pinky finger, scored 23 points for the Nets, who allowed
a season high in points in their third consecutive loss — dropping the
NBA's worst record to 2-22.
"We were hanging tough with a
top-four team in the East, pretty much for — what fraction should I
say? — five-eighths of the game?" New Jersey center Brook Lopez said.
"That's correct, right? So, we were in there. It just kind of fell out
from under us offensively and defensively the beginning of the third
quarter. I'm sure it's tough writing about us."
Josh Smith and Al Horford each
finished with 16 points for Atlanta, which improved to 10-2 at home.
Jamal Crawford added 13 points, and Mike Bibby and rookie Jeff Teague
each had 12.
Evans made his first start this season after forward Marvin Williams was unable to play because of an upset stomach.
"He's a veteran and has been
patiently waiting," Woodson said. "That is key to having a good team. I
can't play everybody 30 minutes, so the minutes you get, you have to
make the most of them."
New Jersey dropped to 2-4 since general manager Kiki Vandeweghe became interim coach Dec. 1.
The Nets' last lead came on Courtney
Lee's 3-pointer with 5:34 left in the second quarter, but Atlanta went
on a 19-7 run that ended on Johnson's 6-foot jumper in the first minute
of the third to make it 64-50.
Harris smiled when asked if New Jersey "took anything positive from the game," as Vandeweghe often encourages his players.
"We definitely found our
pick-and-roll game tonight," Harris said. "That went well. I thought
the ball movement was a lot better. Guys were giving up good shots to
get great ones. In transition, I thought we, for the most part, pushed
up at a good pace."
That was hardly the case on the other end of the floor.
"Defensively we have some things to
work on," Harris said. "We left them open, and they made the shots. At
a high rate. We live. We learn. We move on."
Randolph Morris' free throw in the final minute gave Atlanta its biggest lead at 26 points.
Lopez finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds for New Jersey, which endured its fourth loss of 19 or more points.
Reserve Terrence Williams added 18 points for the Nets. Harris had 15 points in the second half on 6-for-10 shooting.
"The Hawks are one of the best teams
in the East, and they're playing at a very high level," Vandeweghe
said. "So we have to make sure we don't hang our heads too low."
Horford believes Atlanta, which
hosts Memphis on Wednesday and Utah on Friday, is passing more
efficiently on offense than at any time during his first three seasons
in the league.
"We were moving the ball well all
night, as we have been the last few games especially," he said. "And we
got open looks, which we knocked down consistently. It's nice to see
every guy in the scoring column."
Notes
Nets F Chris Douglas-Roberts
said an MRI on his left knee showed a mild sprain and that he will try
to practice on Monday. The Nets visit Cleveland the following night.
… Trenton Hassell started in Douglas-Roberts' small forward spot and
scored 12 points. … The Hawks improved to 80-63 in the all-time
series, including 51-20 at home against New Jersey. … Evans, Horford
and Smith combined for 26 of Atlanta's 51 rebounds.