Wins have been so hard to come by for the Hawks the past two months that Joe Johnson stopped being particular about the particulars weeks ago.

So surviving the worst team in the NBA twice in the same night was little more than an extra-long day at the office for Johnson, the Hawks’ captain and All-Star who led the way on both offense and defense in the nightcap, a closer-than-it-should-have-been 97-94 victory in front of 17,022 at Philips Arena.

The Hawks won the earlier contest 114-111, winning the replayed 51.9 seconds of the protested game from Dec. 19 without either team scoring a point.

The pair of victories lifted the Hawks (26-36) back into the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot ahead of New Jersey, for at least a day or two.