Nets 102, Raptors 98: Joe Johnson scored 21 of his 29 points in the second half and host Brooklyn survived a near-collapse to grab a 2-1 advantage in their Eastern Conference first-round series with Toronto.

Deron Williams collected 22 points and eight assists for the sixth-seeded Nets, who lost most of a 15-point lead in the final five minutes. Paul Pierce added 18 points and Andray Blatche chipped in 12 off the bench as Brooklyn - which hosts Game 4 on Sunday - improved to 23-4 at home since Jan. 4.

DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points for the second straight game to pace the Raptors while Patrick Patterson had 17 in a reserve role. Kyle Lowry added 15 points and Jonas Valanciunas had his third double-double of the series with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, which committed 19 turnovers and has given the ball away 28 more times than Brooklyn in the series.

Johnson's 3-pointer with 5:01 left put Brooklyn up 93-78 before the Raptors rallied, as Patterson hit two triples and Lowry had a three-point play to fuel a 13-2 push that made it a four-point game entering the final minute. Williams managed to make just 2-of-5 free throws in a span of seven seconds and DeRozan hit a pair before converting a three-point play with 34.3 seconds left to cut Toronto's deficit to 97-96.

Shaun Livingston split a pair from the line on the other end and a foul on Blatche on the rebound sent Patterson to the line with a chance to tie it with 19 seconds remaining, but he missed both tries. Pierce was then good on two foul shots and, after Amir Johnson had a putback with 3.7 ticks to go to make it 100-98, Johnson converted the clinching free throws.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Williams had 14 points in the first half to help the Nets gain a 49-45 lead and Johnson scored 10 in the third as Brooklyn carried a 77-66 lead into the fourth. ... Lowry had a basket in the third quarter taken away after a review several minutes later showed that his attempt came after the shot clock had expired. ... Lowry and Nets C Kevin Garnett fouled out in the final minute.