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Nets Hand Hawks Second Loss

The Nets handed the Atlanta Hawks just their second loss of the season Friday night at the IZOD Center, led by an unlikely trio of stars. Still a bit hobbled by his sprained left ankle, Devin Harris made his return to the Nets' lineup and led the way with 30 points and eight assists. Brook Lopez made his first career start, scored 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting, grabbed nine boards, blocked four shots and twice stole the ball. And Ryan Anderson came off the bench to add 15 points, shooting a perfect three-for-three from long range and adding five rebounds. With Lopez scoring 10 of their first 14 points, the Nets jumped out to an early nine-point lead. But the Hawks answered and it was a close game most of the night. The Nets had their biggest offensive outburst of the young season, scoring 42 points in the fourth quarter (and 66 in the second half). A Keyon Dooling three gave the Nets an eight-point lead with five and a half minutes to go, and Vince Carter, who struggled most of the night, helped close it out, dueling with Joe Johnson down the stretch and finishing with 26 points, eight boards and seven assists. Carter is averaging 23.1 points on the season and 26.8 in his last four contests.