It figured to be a matter of time before the Hawks started making 3-pointers.
That time was the third quarter.
The Hawks connected on four long-range baskets in the period en route to a 120-113 victory over the Timberwolves Saturday night at Philips Arena.
The Hawks were 1 of 7 after one quarter and 2 of 11 after one half from 3-point range. Kyle Korver had three 3-pointers in the third quarter as the Hawks built a 16-point lead. They held off a late Timberwolves rally.
The Hawks (25-21, 16-7 home) have won two straight. It was their 11th straight victory over the Timberwolves at Philips Arena.
Korver led the Hawks with 24 points. Paul Millsap had 20 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
DeMarre Carroll (19), Jeff Teague (19) and Mike Scott (14) also scored in double-figures for the Hawks. Korver extended his NBA-record streak to 115 games with a 3-pointer. Scott scored in double-figures for the 11 straight game off the bench.
Timberwolves (23-24, 10-15 road) lost their second straight.
Kevin Love, who had a double-double by halftime, finished with 43 points and 19 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Love entered the game fourth in the NBA is scoring with a 25.1 points per game average. Kevin Martin added 17 points. Love scored 21 of his points in a fourth-quarter rally.
The Hawks built a 16-point lead with a 38-point third quarter. They used a 20-4 run in the middle of the period, keyed by the three Korver 3-pointers, to gain the margin. The Timberwolves fought back and got as close as three points in the fourth quarter.
After Love pulled the Timberwolves to within three points, 112-109, Gustavo Ayon scored in the paint with 43.8 seconds left for the Hawks. Teague drew a foul after a steal and made two free throws with 33.6 seconds remaining. Scott pulled down a rebound of a Timberwolves miss on the ensuing possession. Korver clinched it with a pair of free throws with 26.6 seconds to give the Hawks a 118-109 lead.
The Timberwolves took a 54-48 lead into the intermission after a back-and-forth first half. The Hawks led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter as Paul Millsap scored 10 of the Hawks first 12 points. The Timberwolves answered with an 18-5 run near the end of the second quarter to lead by 11 points. Love had a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds through the first two quarters.
The Timberwolves late run was aided by a questionable clear-path foul called on Lou Williams on a long outlet pass to Kevin Martin with 1:31 left. He made both free throws and Love scored on the ensuing possession for a four-point swing.
The Hawks next host the Pacers on Tuesday.
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