ATLANTA, Feb. 12 (Ticker) -- The New Jersey Nets quickly learned that the second half of the season will be much different than the first.

DerMarr Johnson's 3-pointer forged a tie with 51 seconds left and Jason Terry sank two clutch free throws with four seconds remaining as the Atlanta Hawks rallied for a 105-103 victory over the Nets.

New Jersey surprised everyone by posting the best record in the Eastern Conference prior to the All-Star break. But having moved themselves into elite status, the Nets are now a team that most other NBA squads view as a measuring stick.

"Everybody is coming after us," said point guard Jason Kidd, New Jersey's lone All-Star. "We can't take anybody lightly. We are a target for everybody. We have to learn to handle that. You have to shut the door against a team that is dangerous. We didn't shut the door. We left it open and they came in."

NBA TV highlights from Nets-Hawks: 56k | 300k Shareef Abdur-Rahim kept his shots just out of reach of Net defenders like Kenyon Martin all night. Scott Cunningham NBAE/Getty Images

The Nets squandered a 10-point lead in the third quarter and were trailing, 88-84, with 8:12 remaining. But New Jersey went on a 17-6 run and took a 101-94 lead on Keith Van Horn's three-point play with 3:28 to go.

The usually surehanded Kidd committed consecutive turnovers, leading to baskets by Shareef-Abdur Rahim and Jacque Vaughn. The Hawks closed within 101-100 on a layup by Vaughn before Kidd sank a jumper with 83 seconds to play.

Johnson tied it with his fourth 3-pointer from the right corner and Kerry Kittles missed a jumper for New Jersey with 39 seconds left. After Atlanta's Nazr Mohammed misfired on two free throws, Kidd missed a short baseline jumper with 21 seconds to go.

Terry blew past Kittles at the other end, forcing Kidd to commit a foul. He sank both free throws and and the Nets put the ball in the hands of Kidd, who missed a 3-pointer from the top of the circle as time expired.

"The last three minutes we were very focused every possession," Terry said. "We had to get stops. It gave us a chance to go down on the other end and either get it inside to Shareef or get to the free-throw line."

Abdur-Rahim had 34 points and eight rebounds and Terry finished with 28 points. Johnson posted career highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.

"We had a lot of different guys contributing in big ways," Hawks coach Lon Kruger said. "DerMarr Johnson's rebounding tied in with his defense were the best they have been all year. We feel great, especially coming back from the deficit in the fourth quarter."

Kittles scored 20 points to lead six players in double figures for the Nets, who have lost consecutive games for the first time since December 21-22.

Van Horn recorded 16 points and eight rebounds and Kidd fell just shy of his sixth triple-double with 12 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.

Atlanta shot 71 percent (15-of-21) in the first quarter and had its largest lead, 37-25, after a 3-pointer by Johnson with six seconds left in the period. Johnson scored 13 points in the opening 12 minutes.

But Lucious Harris ended the first quarter with a 3-pointer and the Nets opened the second on an 11-2 run. Rookie Richard Jefferson scored seven of his 15 points to close the burst and tied it, 39-39. on a three-point play with 7:16 to go in the first half.

Atlanta made just 6-of-21 shots in the second quarter and the teams exchanged the lead seven times before New Jersey went on a 11-2 run in the third to take its largest lead, 74-64, with 5:23 remaining.

The Hawks used a 7-1 run in the third period to close within 77-74 on 3-pointer by Terry with 1:48 left. New Jersey had an 82-78 lead entering the fourth, but Atlanta scored 10 of the quarter's first 12 points to reclaim the lead.