The Hawks won.
Finally.
It wasn’t easy. But what has been lately?
The Hawks won a war of attrition against the Suns, 95-91 on Tuesday at Philips Arena. The Hawks, missing three starters, used a 17-1 fourth-quarter run to come back in a game they led by 18 points early. The Suns, playing without six regulars either injured or resting, had led by seven points before the Hawks’ decisive run.
Dennis Schroder started the Hawks’ run with back-to-back 3-pointers. Taurean Prince followed with a basket and a three-point play on a drive. Dwight Howard followed with a dunk off an offensive rebound, and Ersan Ilyasova and Jose Calderon each made two free throws. The Hawks held an 88-79 lead with the run after it looked like a much-need victory had slipped away.
The Hawks (38-36) snapped a seven-game losing streak and remained fifth in the Eastern Conference with eight games remaining in the regular season. They kept pace with the Bucks who also won and moved ahead of the Pacers who lost after the three teams held identical records.
Schroder led the Hawks with a game-high 27 points. Ilyasova added 18 points and 12 rebounds and Howard had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Prince finished with 15 points. Howard has recorded double-digit rebounds in 16 straight games.
The Suns (22-53) lost their ninth consecutive game. T.J. Warren led the team with 24 points.
The Hawks took at 47-44 lead at halftime despite leading by as many as 18 points in the second quarter. The Hawks used a 17-0 run between the first and second quarters to lead 30-12. However, the Suns closed the period strong, outscoring the Hawks 32-20 to cut their deficit going into intermission.
The Hawks led 27-12 after the first quarter as they shot 58 percent and the Suns shot 19 percent from the field. Schroder scored 13 first-quarter points to outscore the Suns by himself.
The Suns tied the game twice in the third quarter, but never took the lead. The Hawks took a 71-68 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Hawks played without Paul Millsap, Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha. The Hawks are now 1-8 in games without Millsap this season. The Suns played without Devin Booker (ankle), Dragan Bender (right ankle surgery), Leandro Barbosa (right hamstring spasm), Eric Bledsoe (rest), Tyson Chandler (rest) and Brandon Knight (rest).
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