NEW YORK _ The terms 'Nets' and 'winning streak' haven't kept much company lately. They do now.
The Nets defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 116-104, on Sunday afternoon before 13,917 at Barclays Center and now have a two-game win streak. The Nets needed to play 71 games of an 82-game schedule last season before they won back-to-back games. The Nets, at 2-1, are over the .500 mark for the first time since Nov. 3, 2014 when they started their last playoff season 2-1.
Allen Crabbe's 3-pointer with 4:37 to play snapped a tie at 99 to give the Nets a lead they would not relinquish. He made another three about a minute later for a 106-99 lead. D'Angelo Russell answered a pair of Hawks scores with jumpers at the other end as Brooklyn salted the win away.
Crabbe had 20 points, including four 3-pointers, DeMarre Carroll had 17 points, Russell had 16 points and 10 assists and Caris LeVert had 16 points for the Nets. Marco Belinelli's 19 points led Atlanta (1-2).
The Nets too their biggest lead of the game at 16 points when Trevor Booker (14 points) converted a three-point play with 25 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The lead was still 96-85 with about nine minutes left in the game. Atlanta roared back and tied the score at 99 on Belinelli's 3-pointer from the wing with 5:20 to play.
A Nets offense that averaged 128.5 points in their first two games didn't show up right away. A sluggish first quarter gave way to a 37-point second that sent the Nets into halftime with a 56-53 lead. And the margin should have been bigger.
