Those injuries to Al Horford and Paul Millsap?
It turns out there was no reason for concern.
The Hawks’ big men propelled their team to a narrow 96-91 victory over the Nets in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Wednesday night at Philips Arena. Millsap (right shoulder) had 19 points, including four 3-pointers, and seven rebounds. Horford (dislocated right pinkie finger) had a double-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
“We have to answer the questions because you guys asked them, but we weren’t worried about Paul and Al,” Kyle Korver said. “They are like rocks for us. Everyone has a bad game here and there. I was talking to Al, and he knew with the training staff here he was going to be OK. Paul bounced back. His shoulder is going to keep getting better. We are not worried about him.”
Millsap was 7-of-11 from the field. The forward played without a protective pad that he wore on his shoulder the past two games, when he was a combined 4-of-20 for 11 points.
“The 3-point shot was working,” Millsap said. “I was wide-open on a lot of shots. The drive-and-kick helped us out a lot. I was able to get free a few times. It really started with the guards penetrating, getting me easy buckets. I got a few layups and a dunk. It opened up everything else.”
Millsap joked he won’t wear the pad for Game 3.
Horford, who injured his finger in the fourth quarter of Game 1, was 6-of-15 from the field. He was 3-of-5 for eight points in the first quarter as the Hawks got off to a fast start.
“Honestly, once the game started, right from the beginning it went out the window,” Horford said. “I just went out there and played. Before I was thinking about it, but once the game started (it was not an issue). Obviously, it feels good when you hit your first shot.”
The top-seeded Hawks took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday in New York.
The Hawks, who led by as many 12 points, also got double-digit scoring from Korver (17), Jeff Teague (16) and Dennis Schroder (12).
Jarrett Jack led the Nets with 23 points. Brook Lopez added 20, and Joe Johnson added 19.
The Nets pulled to within a point, 90-89, with a Jack 3-pointer with 1:55 remaining. That followed a 3-pointer from Johnson. Johnson missed a potential go-ahead shot, and Teague pulled in the rebound. DeMarre Carroll converted a layup with 55 seconds left, his first basket in eight attempts, for a 92-89 lead. After an Alan Anderson basket, Millsap made one free throw with 27 seconds left.
Following a timeout, the Hawks forced Deron Williams off the 3-point line, and he missed his 2-point attempt. Korver got the rebound and made two free throws with 8.1 seconds left.
Game over.
Kent Bazemore made one free throw with 1.6 seconds left for the final margin.
The Hawks have won all six games with the Nets this season. While the average margin of victory was 17 points in the four regular-season games, the two playoff wins have come by an average of six points.
“Hey, it’s the playoffs,” Horford said.
The Hawks jumped out early and led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter. They opened the game on a 9-2 run and forced the Nets to call a timeout after just 1:41 expired. The lead reached double digits, 17-7, just 4:08 into the game.
The Nets answered with a 27-9 run between the first and second quarters. They took a 42-36 lead. When Mason Plumlee scored with 6:52 left in the second quarter, the Nets held their first lead of the series since scoring the opening basket of Game 1 on Sunday. Jack sparked the Nets’ run, as the former Georgia Tech player had 16 first-half points.
The Hawks answered with a 17-5 run to regain the lead and take a 50-47 advantage at intermission. The Nets’ last lead was 61-60 and came with 5:01 remaining in the third quarter.
The Hawks led 75-67 after a back-and-forth third quarter. They ended the period on a 15-6 run. Pero Antic started the streak with a 3-pointer and had eight of the Hawks’ 13 points at one point in the run. Dennis Schroder started the fourth quarter with a layup, and the Hawks regained a double-digit advantage.
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