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Hawks hold off Nets for Game 1 win

Apr 20, 2015 - 12:45 AM Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Korver buried five 3-pointers and scored 21 points and the Atlanta Hawks held on for a 99-92 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Jeff Teague and DeMarre Carroll added 17 points each for the top-seeded Hawks and Dennis Schroder scored 13 off the bench.

Brook Lopez scored 17 points with a game-high 14 rebounds and Joe Johnson also supplied 17 points for the Nets, who clinched the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot on the last day of the regular season. Thaddeus Young added 15 points and 10 rebounds and Jarrett Jack scored 13 off the bench in the loss.

Brooklyn's only lead of the game was 2-0. Atlanta led by as many as 16 points and held off several runs in the second half.

"A lot of credit goes to them for closing on us and putting us in tough spots," said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer. "But I think defensively our hands and our activity were good and created some turnovers. ... A lot of guys stepped up and made plays."

Hawks center Al Horford suffered a dislocated little finger on his right hand in the fourth quarter but had it taped up and returned to the game. He ended with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Budenholzer said X-rays taken on Horford's hand were negative.

"Obviously he came back and finished the game and we're hopeful that he'll be fine going forward," Budenholzer said.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday in Atlanta.

Johnson, who played for Atlanta for seven seasons from 2005-12, gave the Nets their only lead on the first possession of the game.

They cut into a 12-point deficit with a 9-0 run early in the third quarter but the Hawks responded by scoring 15 of the next 17, keyed by 3s from Carroll, Korver and Schroder to take a 16-point lead.

Atlanta led 74-62 entering the fourth quarter and by 15 points with 10 1/2 minutes remaining before letting it get as close as four down the stretch.

Korver made his final 3 with 3:17 remaining to help Atlanta push a five-point lead to 10. The Nets scored the next six, capped by Young's one-handed floater in the paint, but Teague banked in a shot and made two free throws and the Hawks were able to hang on.

Atlanta was 21-of-22 from the foul line in the game.

"We just didn't make enough plays," said Nets coach Lionel Hollins. "I told the team after the game, if you didn't believe you can play in this series, you should believe now."

The Hawks went 4-0 against the Nets in the regular season on the way to their seventh consecutive postseason berth and a team-record 60 wins. They clinched the No. 1 seed on March 27 with 19 days remaining in the regular season and not long after wrapping up the Southeast Division title.

Atlanta scored the next seven points after Johnson's bucket to open the game and shot 50 percent in the first quarter to take a 32-20 lead into the second.

Korver's second 3-pointer of the game extended the Hawks lead to 15 and they were up by 16 before an 11-3 Nets flurry made it an eight-point game with under four minutes left in the first half.

Atlanta led 55-45 at the break behind 12 points from Carroll and 10 from Korver.

Game Notes

Atlanta scored 24 points off 17 Nets turnovers ... Johnson had a game-high six assists .. The Hawks are without Thabo Sefolosha, who was lost for the rest of the season when he suffered a broken leg this month while he was being arrested in New York, an injury the backup forward has blamed on police.