Atlanta, Georgia - The Brooklyn Nets got back into the win column after outlasting the Atlanta Hawks for an impressive road win on Friday night.

The Nets beat the Hawks 113-105, handing Atlanta their third loss in the last four games.

Brooklyn was clearly the better team, but they had to show some true grit in the closing minutes.

From the opening tip-off, both teams battled to keep things close, tying the score at 26-26 after one.

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The Hawks had the slight upper hand in the second, outscoring the Nets by three and leading by that same difference at halftime.

The close game remained during the third quarter, but the Nets still trailed by two going into the fourth.

Brooklyn’s defense stepped things up in the fourth to hold the Hawks to only 14 points in the final quarter.

However, Brooklyn still had to withstand three ties and a short-lived comeback attempt by Atlanta for the Nets to take the victory.

Brooklyn’s leading scorer and former NBA MVP Kevin Durant (33) faced off against Hawks star scoring machine Trae Young and just about shaded the contest.

On the stat sheets, they both ended the night with the same point total, but Durant had the most valuable buckets, including a shot midway through the fourth quarter that helped the Nets finally pull away, late in the game.

Durant finished the game with 12-for-22 shooting for 31 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three blocks.

The Nets still have a small lead over the Eastern Conference’s second-best team, the Chicago Bulls.

While they’ve enjoyed the season at the top so far, defending champs Milwaukee Bucks are right behind the Bulls and are creeping their way upward.

But Brooklyn proved once again on Friday night that there's plenty of steel to got with the undeniable style in that line up, a combination which gets the team wins even when their backs seem to be up against the wall.

There's a balance to the Nets nowadays and that is sure to keep them in a comfortable position as the season rolls on.

On Sunday, the Nets will be on the road to play the Pistons while on Monday, the Hawks will be back at home to host the Rockets.