The Brooklyn Nets coughed up a double-digit lead in the second half and missed a whopping 21 free throws Saturday night at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, but survived a potential game-winning 3-point attempt by former Net Vince Carter to beat the Atlanta Hawks 114-112.
The Nets (35-33) moved back into a virtual tie with the Detroit Pistons (33-31) in the Eastern Conference playoff race, trailing the sixth-place Pistons by mere percentage points in advance of their tiebreaker showdown Monday night at Barclays Center.
Detroit hosts the Chicago Bulls Sunday afternoon before heading to Brooklyn on the back end of a back-to-back.