Phoenix (27-15) at Atlanta (11-29) 7:00 pm EST

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Joe Johnson will have another shot to impress his former teammates Friday when he leads the Atlanta Hawks into a matchup with the Phoenix Suns.

Johnson improved dramatically over a four-season stint with Phoenix, culminating in a stellar 2004-05 campaign in which he averaged 17.1 points and 5.2 rebounds. He played in all 82 games over his last three seasons with the Suns before joining the Hawks this offseason.

He has picked up right where he left off, leading Atlanta in scoring and assists. Johnson did his best to match LeBron James in the Hawks' 106-97 loss to Cleveland on Wednesday.

Johnson had 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds but James scored 38 and the Cavaliers erased a 10-point second-half deficit.

The Suns nearly lost a lead of their own Thursday, nearly squandering a 21-point advantage before surviving for a 107-98 triumph at Miami. Raja Bell scored 22 points and Steve Nash had 21 and 14 assists for Phoenix, which is 1-1 on a six-game road trip.

In Johnson's first game against the Suns on December 4 at Phoenix, he had 23 points in a 112-94 loss. James Jones and Shawn Marion scored 20 points apiece for the Suns.