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Nuggets wrap up road swing in Atlanta

Mar 15, 2014 - 2:19 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Atlanta Hawks have won two straight and will try to continue the momentum Saturday night when they welcome the Denver Nuggets to Philips Arena.

Atlanta salvaged a victory in the finale of a six-game road trip with a win in Utah on Monday, then returned home and knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks, 102-97, Thursday night.

Jeff Teague totaled 22 points and eight assists to help the Hawks fend off the Bucks.

Paul Millsap managed 17 points and eight boards for the Hawks. Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll scored 15 points apiece, with Carroll adding six rebounds, but it was Korver who really provided a spark.

He scored 12 of his 15 points in the last six-plus minutes.

"The first game back from a long road trip is notoriously a trap game," said Korver. "I think we fell for it a bit in the first half. We just didn't come out with the right energy and focus we needed. I know I didn't and coach got on us at halftime and we tried to pick it up."

The Hawks shot 44.8 percent from long range, but did commit 19 turnovers compared to nine from the Bucks.

Lou Williams missed the game to be with his family for the birth of his daughter, but he has been a DNP-CD the last few games as head coach Mike Budenholzer has used Shelvin Mack and Dennis Schroeder in the backup point guard role.

The Nuggets will complete a five-game southern swing on Saturday and have played spectacularly in the last two. They toppled the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, but then knocked off the two-time defending champion Miami Heat on Friday night.

Kenneth Faried had 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way as the Nuggets dealt the sputtering Heat a 111-107 loss at American Airlines Arena.

Darrell Arthur added 18 points off the bench on 7-of-11 shooting to help the Nuggets record back-to-back victories for the first time since Feb. 3-5. Ty Lawson finished with 13 points and nine assists for the Nuggets.

Denver's reserves outscored the Heat's by a 57-40 margin on the night, with Evan Fournier chipping in 14 points and J.J. Hickson compiling 11 points and nine rebounds.

"It was a complete team effort," Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw remarked.

The Nuggets led by 14 at the start of the fourth quarter, but Miami roared back. It was just a three-point game with 17.1 seconds to go, but Denver made its free throws.

The Nuggets beat the Hawks by two in Denver on Nov. 7 and have won two straight and six of the last seven meetings. The Hawks are 4-1 in the last five at home in this series.