Despite a nearly 70 percent field goal percentage through three quarters, the Hawks lost a 12-point lead and had to come from behind for a victory.
The Hawks used a 6-0 run to end the game and escape with a 100-95 victory over the Mavericks Wednesday night at Philips Arena.
Paul Millsap scored with 30.5 seconds left to give the Hawks a 96-95 lead. Seth Curry hit two free throws to give the Mavericks a 95-94 lead with 55.5 seconds left.
After Millsap’s basket, the Mavericks’ Harrison Barnes missed and Ersan Ilyasova was fouled on the rebound. He made two three throws with 11.1 seconds left to give the Hawks a 98-95 lead. Kent Bazemore had a steal and dunk on the ensuing inbounds play to seal the victory.
The Hawks (34-26) have won two straight and placed six players in double-figure scoring. Ilyasova had 18 points. In addition, Millsap (18), Dennis Schroder (17), Bazemore (15), Dwight Howard (14) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) rounded out the scoring. Millsap had 10 assists and eight rebounds. Howard had 12 rebounds.
The Mavericks (24-36) had a two game winning streak snapped. Barnes led the Mavericks with a game-high 25 points.
The Hawks led by as many as 12 points in the first half and took a 63-52 lead at intermission. They shot .719 (23 of 32) from the field and .750 (6 of 8) from 3-point range. Ilyasova was 3 of 3 from long range and had 11 points in the first half. Schroder had 13 points and Howard had 12 points through two quarters.
The Mavericks also had 12 first-half turnovers. The entered the game averaging an NBA-low 11.8 per game this season.
The Mavericks closed within three points in the third quarter and entered the fourth quarter trailing just 81-76. The Hawks lead was gone with Curry hit a 3-pointer with 5:44 left in the game to tie the score at 87-87. After five straight turnovers by both teams, Barnes hit a 3-pointer with 4:08 left to give the Mavericks a 90-87 lead, their first advantage since 4-3 in the first quarter. The long-range baskets ended a 9-0 Mavericks run. It would be a 12-2 run and a four-point lead at 93-89 before the Hawks got a 3-pointer from Hardaway Jr. and Ilyasova to set up the final sequence.
