Hawks 96, Nuggets 84
Paul Millsap had 23 points and four steals as host Atlanta pulled away early for its sixth straight win.
Kyle Korver had 15 points and DeMarre Carroll had 11 and nine rebounds as the Hawks won for the 12th time in 16 games after starting the season 1-2. Al Horford had 11 points and eight rebounds and Jeff Teague chipped in nine points and seven assists for the Hawks, who drained 10-of-27 shots from the arc despite shooting only 41.4 percent from the floor.
Wilson Chandler scored a season-high 29 points and matched his season best with 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who lost all three games of a brief road trip after winning seven of eight. Ty Lawson scored just four points on 1-of-10 shooting but added 10 assists for Denver.
Korver scored seven points during a 20-8 run to end the first quarter as Atlanta took a 32-21 lead. A runner by Teague and two free throws by Mike Scott pushed the edge to 19 midway through the second and a 9-0 run to end the period gave Atlanta a 57-36 lead at the break.
Denver pulled within 69-58 with an 8-0 run but a 3-pointer by Millsap stopped that surge and Atlanta led by 11 heading into the fourth. Chandler hit a 3-pointer and a tip-in to pull the Nuggets within 87-80 with 3:35 left, but Korver hit a deep 3-pointer from the right wing and Teague drove the lane to restore order.
GAME NOTEBOOK: After the Hawks held Brooklyn to 37.5 percent shooting, including 3-of-18 from the arc, they held the Nuggets to 36.6 percent and 6-of-35 from the arc. … The Nuggets won the battle of the boards 52-43. … Denver F Alonzo Gee scored a season-high 14 points and added four rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.