The Hawks’ climb continues.
With a relatively easy 116-98 win over the Nuggets Thursday night at Philips Arena, the Hawks moved into third place in the Eastern Conference. They are now ½-game ahead of the Heat, who lost at home to the Hornets in an ever-crowded playoff race.
Tim Hardaway Jr. got his first start of the season and scored a game-high and season-high 21 points to lead eight double-digit Hawks scorers.
The Hawks (40-29) have won four straight and nine of their past 11 games in a run that has seen them move up from sixth in the conference standings. They completed a season sweep of the Nuggets, the Hawks’ first since the 2003-04 season. It was also the Hawks fifth straight win over a Western Conference opponent.
The Hawks led by as many as 18 points in the second half, including the final total. The broke open the game with a 16-2 third-quarter run and cruised to the win.
Also scoring in double-digits for the Hawks were Paul Millsap (16), Jeff Teague (16), Thabo Sefolosha (14), Dennis Schroder (12), Kyle Korver (11), Al Horford (11) and Kris Humphries (11). Millsap had a double-double with 11 rebounds.
The Nuggets (28-41) have lost three straight. It was also their seventh loss in their last eight games in Atlanta. D.J. Augustin led the Nuggets with 17 points.
The Hawks continue three-game home stand against the Rockets Saturday.
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