The Hawks magic number is one with three games to play.
Closing in on a playoff berth came with some dramatics.
Jeff Teague hit a floater in the lane with 19.3 seconds left to help the Hawks to a 93-88 victory over the Nets Friday night at Barclays Center.
The Hawks hold a two-game lead over the Knicks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks won at the Raptors, 108-100, Friday night. Each team has three games remaining. The Hawks can clinch their seventh straight postseason appearance with a win Saturday against the Heat.
The Hawks (36-43) won their second straight and fifth in the past seven games.
Paul Millsap led the Hawks with a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds, his seventh straight double-double game. Teague added 22 points, including 14 in the second quarter.
The Hawks won despite a dismal 1-for-19 shooting night from 3-point range.
The Nets (43-36) had their 15-game home win streak snapped. The loss was their first since dropping a home loss to the Thunder on Jan. 31.
Mason Plumlee each had 17 points off the bench to lead the Nets.
The Hawks led by as many as 11 points in the third quarter before the Nets rallied late. They went on a 15-8 run to end the quarter and trailed just 74-73 headed into the final period.
Teague took over in the second quarter as the Hawks overcame a nine-point deficit. After the point guard entered the game with 6:51 remaining, the Hawks went on a 27-11 run with Teague scoring 14 of the points. Several of his drives to the basket came while being guarded by his younger brother Marquis. After one layup and foul, Teague looked into a television camera and yelled “Little brother!”
With All-Star Deron Williams out with patella tendinitis, Nets guard Jorge Gutierrez (three) and Marquis Teague (four) combined for seven fouls.
The Hawks took a 55-47 advantage in halftime with a 39-point second quarter.
The Hawks stumbled out of the game with a 16-point first quarter. They made just 7 of 16 field goals. However, the biggest reason the Nets took a 23-16 advantage after the first period was a 7-0 advantage in offensive rebounds.
Paul Pierce became the 18th player in NBA history, and fourth active, to reach the 25,000-point mark with a second-quarter 3-pointer.
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