"I took some things he showed me as far as technique and squaring up to the basket better and getting more arc on my shot," Hughes said. "That helped tie everything together. He helped me out a lot."

So did Hughes working consistently the last two summers basically to rework his jumper. Like a golfer rebuilding his swing, Hughes had to adjust to a new release point after he missed 45 games in 2006 because of a shattered knuckle on his shooting hand.

"I'm not able to open my hand up all the way," Hughes said. "And I never will be able to. So I had to get used to how the ball comes off my hand now. I basically have a different shooting stroke than I did before the injury.

"It's something I've done for the past two summers now, finding the best way to regain a good release without having the full motion of my finger. This is as comfortable as I've been with the hand since I suffered the injury."

Hughes entered Saturday night shooting 45.2 percent, second-highest of his 11-year career behind a 46.7 percent mark with Washington in 2002-03. He also is at a career-best 46.3 on three-pointers, tied for ninth in the league.

Yet Hughes joked he didn't want to jinx his recent hot streak by talking about it, preferring to discuss his release point.

"Now I have to make sure the ball is in the right spot or there's no telling where it's going to go," he said.

Layup: Lindsey Hunter didn't play for the fifth straight game.

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Big number

16: Seconds it took Nets guard Vince Carter to score a field goal -- on a dunk -- after missing all 13 shots in Friday's loss to Toronto. It was the first time in Carter's 718 career games he had failed to score a field goal in a game he didn't leave due to injury.