Johnson, Nets ground Hawks for 3rd in row

NEW YORK (AP) – Joe Johnson snapped out of a slump with 23 points against his former team, and the Brooklyn Nets matched a season high with their third straight victory by beating the Atlanta Hawks, 91-86, in the NBA on Monday night.

Mirza Teletovic scored 16 points and Alan Anderson added 14 starting in place of the injured Deron Williams as the Nets moved to 2-0 on four-game homestand that finishes with visits from Golden State on Wednesday and Miami on Friday.

Despite yet another injury to a key player, the Nets look ready to test themselves against those powerful teams after matching their three consecutive victories from Dec. 7-12.

In other results, Minnesota overwhelmed Philadelphia, 125-95, while the Los Angeles Clippers bounced back with a 101-81 rout of the Orlando Magic.

Paul Millsap scored 16 points for the Hawks, who lost their third in a row to equal their worst stretch of the season. Jeff Teague also had 16 but shot 5 of 15 from the field.

Williams missed his 12th game this season after his ankle swelled Sunday. He had an MRI exam Monday that revealed the injury and will be re-evaluated Tuesday.

But the Nets got solid guard play from Shaun Livingston, who scored 12, and more importantly some clutch play from Johnson, who had been held in single digits in five straight games for the first time in 11 years.

He finished 10 of 22, making the go-ahead 3-pointer with 6:21 remaining.

The Hawks rebounded from a dreadful start to the second half to grab a 78-77 lead on DeMarre Carroll’s dunk with 6:38 left in the game. Johnson answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession, Livingston had a steal and dunk, and Johnson nailed another jumper to cap the run of seven straight points and make it 84-78 with 3:37 to go.

Johnson, traded to the Nets in the summer of 2012, made another jumper with 2:12 left, then made a huge play after Atlanta had trimmed it to two, finding Teletovic in the corner for a 3-pointer and 89-84 lead with 44 seconds remaining.

The teams meet again on Jan. 16 in London in what’s considered a home game for the Hawks.

Kyle Korver needed little time to extend his NBA-record streak with a three-pointer to 104 games, hitting with 9:11 remaining in the first quarter.