Former Hawk Paul Millsap scored 18 as the Nuggets crushed Atlanta 138-93 Thursday night in Denver.
It was the sixth loss in a row for the Hawks (3-12).
Hawks rookie Trae Young, the fifth pick in the 2018 NBA draft, had another rough night. Young was 2 of 11 from the field, 0 of 4 on 3-pointers, and finished with just six points. He had five turnovers and five assists.
Jeremy Lin led the Hawks with 16 points and Kent Bazemore scored 14.
Juan Hernangomez led the Nuggets (10-5) with 25 points.
Denver snapped a season-worst four-game losing streak.
The Nuggets outshot the Hawks 56.4 percent to 34.8 percent from the field and pushed the pace throughout, getting up and down the floor and wearing down the Hawks, who like to run themselves but were also playing at altitude and in the midst of a four-game road trip.
The Nuggets outscored Atlanta 13-0 to start the game en route to a 35-23 advantage after one quarter, when Atlanta missed 13 of its first 21 shots.
Denver stretched its lead to 73-57 lead at the half. It was the most points scored in the first two quarters this season by the Nuggets, who forced the Hawks into 10 turnovers in that span.
Millsap, who spent four seasons with the Hawks before coming to Denver as a free agent two years ago, was at the center of the defensive effort, getting all four of his steals in the first half.
The Nuggets surpassed the century mark on a three-point play by Millsap for a 101-68 lead with 3:11 left in the third quarter.
The Hawks play the Pacers in Indiana on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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