Schroder, Hawks beat Nuggets 110-97 to end 10-game road skid

By MICHAEL KELLY
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) -- The Atlanta Hawks were savoring a rare win during a tough season. The Denver Nuggets were lamenting a missed opportunity to improve their postseason hopes.

Dennis Schroder had 19 points and 10 assists, Taurean Prince scored 16 and the Hawks beat Denver 110-97 on Wednesday night, ending a 10-game road losing streak.

Atlanta wrapped up a five-game trip with its first road win since Dec. 2 at Brooklyn.

"It feels good to win a game - period," guard Malcolm Delaney said. "We've been battling. It's been tough for us, losing a lot of close games. Just to pull one out and finish how we did feels pretty good."

Kent Bazemore scored 14 points and Ersan Ilyasova had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Hawks, who never trailed after the first quarter.

Atlanta (11-30) has the worst record in the NBA and entered the night tied for the fewest road wins. The Hawks posted their fourth road victory this season.

Denver had won 11 of 13 home games since early November and now has its first three-game losing streak of the season.

"I'm not going to use the word embarrassing because that would be disrespectful to Atlanta. You've got to give them credit," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "They came in here and beat us. But for us to come out with the lack of energy, lack of a sense of urgency, was really disappointing. At the end of the day I put this loss on me."

The Hawks had twice lost by one point during their Western Conference swing. They closed out this win by outscoring Denver 28-19 in the fourth quarter, forcing five turnovers in the period.

Gary Harris had 25 points but was the only Denver player to shoot well from the field. Nikola Jokic had nine points, 12 rebounds and seven assists but was 4-of-21 shooting and missed all eight of his 3-pointers.

"It was probably just a little bit of one of those nights for him," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "He's normally going to make a few more of those shots, so he had a little bit of an off night."

Denver trailed by 10 in the third and got within two late in the period but missed its first six shots of the fourth. The Hawks extended the lead to 93-81 on a layup and jumper by Delaney. He also assisted on Ilyasova's 3-ponter that sparked an 11-3 run to start the fourth.

The Nuggets made a small run to get within eight but Atlanta responded with a 9-2 surge to lead 102-87 with 3:29 left. Denver never got closer than nine the rest of the way.

The loss dropped the Nuggets to 21-20.

"It's not about them, it's about us," Harris said. "We know what we've got to do. If we come out there and play hard, that doesn't happen."

Denver shot just 6 of 24 on 3-pointers in the first half and 37.3 percent from the field overall. Atlanta took advantage and led by as many as 10 and 54-46 at halftime.

TIP-INS

Hawks: Schroder has 3,994 career points. ... Prince, who came in second on the team in scoring at 13 points per game, has not scored 20 in consecutive games. ... Atlanta had six players score in double figures and two more finish with nine points.

Nuggets: Denver finished 9 of 37 from 3-point range. ... F Paul Millsap had the cast removed from his left wrist. Millsap had surgery in November to repair ligament damage in the joint, and Malone said the target date for his return is "right around the All-Star break. It could be a while after that. Who knows?" ... Denver Broncos LB and Super Bowl MVP Von Miller sat near center court.

200 AND COUNTING

The win was Budenholzer's 200th as a head coach - all with Atlanta. He led the Hawks to the postseason in each of his first four seasons but they appear headed to the lottery this year.

That hasn't diminished his enjoyment.

"I feel very fortunate to have had a lot of great players, including this group," he said. "I love coaching them, and very fortunate to be where I am. Hopefully there's a lot more to come."

UP NEXT

Hawks: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.

Nuggets: Host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

LeVert's season-high 17 lead Nets over Hawks

ATLANTA -- The Brooklyn Nets are learning that Caris LeVert may be a partial answer to their problem at point guard.

With Jeremy Lin and D'Angelo Russell out and with Spencer Dinwiddie showing fatigue, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson was pleased to see LeVert come off the bench, provide some quality minutes at point guard and respond with one of his best games.

LeVert scored a season-high 17 points, and Brooklyn broke the game open with a 17-0 run to open the second half en route to a 110-90 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday at Philips Arena.

"Spencer was on fumes and Caris really came in and took the torch," Atkinson said. "He was really good in the pick-and-roll. He can really pass the ball. He had a couple nice lobs, a couple nice wrap-arounds. Good to see him have a good game."

LeVert, a second-year guard from Michigan, entered the game averaging 10.3 points. He almost equaled that with nine first-half points. He shot 7-for-13 from the field and matched his career best with seven assists. LeVert's previous best scoring night was a 16-point effort against the Hawks on Oct. 22.

"With Jeremy and D'Angelo out, Caris is our de facto second-unit point guard," Atkinson said. "We've seen his game grow since he's taken that role. He's gotten in a comfort zone. When guys are out, sometimes you discover things you didn't know. We had talked about him when we drafted him if he could play point guard. It's nice to see him starting to feel comfortable, because we needed it."

The Nets avenged a 114-102 loss to the Hawks in Brooklyn on Saturday, and they have won two of three meetings against Atlanta this season. Brooklyn has won three of its past five games overall. Atlanta has lost three of its past five.

Brooklyn (9-14) also got 16 points from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, 13 points each from ex-Hawk DeMarre Carroll and Dinwiddie and 11 each from Jarrett Allen and Joe Harris.

Atlanta (5-18) was led in scoring by Dennis Schroder with 19 points. Kent Bazemore added 13 points and five assists but committed six turnovers. DeAndre Bembry came off the bench to score 13.

The Hawks shot 47.7 percent in the first half, with Schroder making his first seven shots and shooting 8-for-10 from the floor. The Nets stayed in the game with some impressive 3-point shooting, making 10 of 22, with Dinwiddie knocking down three.

"I think we came out with energy in the first quarter, in the second quarter the same," Schroder said. "Third quarter, we didn't. We have to give them credit for that. They made their shots, got some stops, and that's the reason we lost the game."

Atlanta led 54-53 at halftime but went cold in the third quarter, missing its first 13 shots from the field. Brooklyn scored the first 17 points in the period and led 70-54 with 6:58 left. The Hawks didn't get their first field goal in the third quarter until Schroder scored with 4:51 remaining.

"Obviously the game changed in the third quarter," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "A lot of credit to Brooklyn. Both ends of the court, they took their game up. Execution, defense, energy. We hit a bit of a wall. ... The game just changed there."

Atlanta cut the lead to nine when Luke Babbitt made a 3-pointer, but Harris answered with a trey on the other end and the Nets led 84-69 at the end of the third quarter. That was part of a 18-5 run that carried into the fourth quarter and included back-to-back dunks by Allen and saw the Nets take a 21-point lead.

For the game, Brooklyn shot 48.2 percent from the field while Atlanta hit 36.6 percent.

"It was just a good bounce-back," Atkinson said. "After the last game, they dominated it at every position and I was interested to see how our guys would respond. They went toe-to-toe with us in the first half, and I thought our guys did a great job starting that third quarter and our bench did a fine job extending the lead."

NOTES: Atlanta allowed Brooklyn to score 33 points in the first quarter and 31 in the third quarter. The Hawks have allowed the opposition to score at least 30 points in 30 quarters this season. ... The Hawks dropped to 2-9 at home. ... Atlanta started Miles Plumlee at center for the second consecutive game. He finished with one point and seven rebounds. ... Brooklyn sent G Isaiah Whitehead to a G League assignment with Long Island. ... Atlanta plays again on Wednesday at Orlando. Brooklyn returns home on Thursday for a game against Oklahoma City.

Aldridge leads Spurs to 20th straight home win over Hawks

By RAUL DOMINGUEZ
Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — LaMarcus Aldridge and Kyle Anderson are keeping the short-handed San Antonio Spurs going.

Aldridge had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Anderson had another solid game in place of Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs held off the Atlanta Hawks 96-85 on Monday night.

“LaMarcus kind of took his game to another level,” Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said.

The Hawks lost their 20th straight game in San Antonio, a skid spanning 20 years.

Aldridge fueled the Spurs in the second half, but Anderson had another methodical all-around game.

“He’s been ready for the moment,” Aldridge said. “He’s been playing really confident, making plays for us, being the other guy to be a ball-handler and been just saving us in games, basically.”

Anderson had 13 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in his 17th start in place of injured All-Star Leonard.

The 6-foot-9 forward out of UCLA has taken advantage of playing 27 minutes per game this season after averaging less than 14 in his previous three. Nicknamed “Slow Mo” for his lack of foot speed, Anderson patiently worked his way to 5-of -8 shooting and had just two turnovers in 30 minutes.

“He gets to handle the ball more and that’s his game, too,” said San Antonio veteran Manu Ginobili, who had 16 points. “He’s playing as a point power forward. He’s a tough matchup because of his size and his handles.”

Anderson didn’t score any points in the fourth but had four assists in the quarter to help Aldridge push the Spurs past the pesky Hawks.

Aldridge, who is averaging a team-high 22.3 points, had 12 points with six rebounds in the fourth quarter.

Danny Green followed that by hitting consecutive 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 90-79 with 3 minutes remaining.

Reserve forward John Collins led Atlanta with 21 points and Taurean Prince added 18. Former Spurs center Dewayne Dedmon had 11 points, including nine in the opening quarter.

TIP-INS

Hawks: Atlanta’s last victory in San Antonio was Feb. 15, 1997. ... Hawks center Miles Plumlee did not play after being listed as probable with a strained right quadriceps. ... Atlanta has nine players with one year of NBA experience or less. ... The Hawks entered third in the league with 9.1 steals per game. They had seven against the Spurs. ... Budenholzer, a former San Antonio assistant, and Dedmon both received warm ovations during pre-game introductions.

Spurs: San Antonio has already missed 52 games due to injury, including the season-long absences of Leonard and Tony Parker. Coach Gregg Popovich did not offer a timeline for either to return from quadriceps injuries. ... Anderson has scored in double figures in eight of 17 games this season after doing so just four times in 72 games last season.

FAREWELL, LEE

Former All-Star David Lee announced his retirement after playing with the Spurs last season. Lee played 12 seasons in the NBA starting with New York before joining Golden State, Boston and finishing in San Antonio.

MORE INJURIES

Atlanta lost Luke Babbitt in the second quarter due to a lower-back injury. Babbitt’s exit was precautionary. Budenholzer was unsure how long Babbitt will be out.

“We’re a little short-handed,” Budenholzer said. “Luke went down, Musky (Mike Muscala) wasn’t available. I’m assuming it’s the most minutes John (Collins) has played.”

Collins played 36 minutes.

UP NEXT

Hawks: Host Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night in the opener of a four-game homestand.

Spurs: Visit New Orleans on Wednesday night in their first meeting of the season against Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins.

Irving takes charge, Celtics beat Hawks for 9th straight win

By GEORGE HENRY
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Kyrie Irving took charge in a fashion only he can.

Dribbling and weaving through the lane and around the perimeter, Irving scored from all over and kept his teammates involved all night.

“It’s a beautiful game when it’s played the right way,” the four-time All-Star said. “It’s not going to look good every possession, but you’ve got to be able to move onto the next play. I understand that better than most.”

Irving scored 35 points, Jayson Tatum added 21 and the Boston Celtics held off the Atlanta Hawks 110-107 Monday night for their ninth straight victory.

Irving’s 3 from the right wing put the Celtics up 104-103 — the game’s 25th lead change — with 1:37 remaining, and Boston led the rest of the way.

Dennis Schroder had 23 points for the rebuilding Hawks, who dropped to 2-9 a night after a surprising two-point win at Cleveland.

“It would’ve been sweet to win two in a row against those kinds of teams,” Schroder said. “But we ended up short.”

Boston improved to 9-2, best in the NBA, and has its longest winning streak in seven years.

Al Horford had 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in his best game against the Hawks. Horford spent his first nine seasons in Atlanta before leaving as a free agent ahead of last season and had totals of 20 points and 17 rebounds in three games against his former team.

Irving had his first 30-point game as a Celtic on a night packed with highlights. He dribbled between his legs and behind his back before hitting a floater off the glass from the left baseline to put Boston up 46-44. He had two impressive assists late in the third with long, one-handed passes that led to 3s by Marcus Smart and Tatum, the latter giving Boston a 72-71 lead.

Irving either scored or assisted on every basket of a 16-2 run in the third that put the Celtics up by seven. He finished with seven assists.

“He’s just very unique,” Horford said. “He has a good sense of how teams are playing him.”

The Celtics started to pull away and took their biggest lead at 10 on Semi Ojeleye’s 3 early in the fourth, but the Hawks came back to take a few brief leads in the final period.

“To compete the way we did and give ourselves a chance to win, we got better tonight and we can learn from it,” Atlanta coach Mike Budenhozler said.

THAT’S A DRAG

Boston coach Brad Stevens wasn’t pleased with the ball movement or defense early in the third, storming the floor to call timeout after Atlanta’s Luke Babbit hit a 3 to put the Hawks up 57-54.

“You could just tell mentally and physically we were dragging a little bit,” Irving said. “That’s going to happen sometimes considering how hard we play, but we don’t want to make that a habit for us. No excuse.”

RAINING DOWN

Budenholzer joked before the game that he regretted having his assistants work with the 6-foot-10 Horford a couple of years ago to develop a strong presence beyond the perimeter. Horford, who went just 1 for 5 on 3s, entered the game shooting nearly 52 percent on 33 attempts from the arc.

“I think there was just a real push from us and a credit to him that he could do it,” Budenholzer said. “It’s part of the way the game is, and his passing just opens up the court even more for him to drive and attack. He’s such a good player, such a smart player.”

TIP-INS

Celtics: Irving has scored more points — 245 — than any player in his first 11 games with Boston. ... With Marcus Morris getting the night off to rest his sore left knee, Aron Baynes started at center and finished with just two points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.

Hawks: Malcolm Delaney returned after missing two games with a sprained right ankle and had 13 points. Marco Belinelli scored 19 despite a sore left Achilles.

UP NEXT

Celtics: Host the Lakers on Wednesday night.

Hawks: Off until they visit Detroit on Friday night.

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Richardson’s 21, Ellington’s 3s help Heat beat Hawks 104-93

By TIM REYNOLDS
Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — Josh Richardson did a little of everything for the Miami Heat, and he earned a Dwyane Wade comparison in the process.

Richardson scored 21 points, Wayne Ellington made six 3-pointers in the second quarter and the Heat wasted a 21-point lead before recovering to beat the Atlanta Hawks 104-93 on Monday night.

Richardson had driving layups on back-to-back possessions in the final minutes, when the Heat went on a 17-6 run that decided things.

“J-Rich gets it done, on the offensive end and especially on the defensive end,” Ellington said. “He’s huge for us. He’s a leader out there on the floor. He’s really evolving, his game’s evolving, he’s getting better every day. He’s becoming the type of player he’s definitely capable of being.”

Ellington scored 20 points and Goran Dragic finished with 19 for Miami, which started 14 of 24 from 3-point range — and then went 0 for 13 the rest of the way, yet prevailed anyway.

Richardson had eight of his points in the fourth for the Heat. Plus, he was stellar again on the defensive end with two steals and two blocks.

“What didn’t J-Rich do tonight?” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He was great defensively. Those were the type of plays at the rim that we had a former 2-guard here make, those kind of blocks. There’s not many 2s in the league who can make those kind of plays.”

Kent Bazemore and Taurean Prince each scored 20 for the Hawks, while John Collins had 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for Atlanta. The Hawks went on a 33-12 run in the second half to tie the game at 77, but never got the lead down the stretch even as Miami went from sizzling to icy in an instant.

“It’s rare that a team stays that hot for so long,” Bazemore said. “We stayed the course. We came out in the third quarter and gave them a good punch to start the third. The biggest thing from tonight is we stayed steady, kept plugging away and gave ourselves a chance.”

It looked like a rout early.

Ellington’s six 3s in the second quarter tied a Heat player record for 3-pointers in any quarter, alongside only Brian Shaw in 1993, and tied the team mark for 3s in a half. Miami’s 13 first-half 3s set a franchise record, for any half.

The Heat led by double digits for most of the second quarter, took an 18-point lead into halftime and stretched it to 21 when Dragic got the third quarter started with a 3-pointer.

Exactly 12 minutes later, it was tied — but the Heat escaped.

“We found a way to scrap our way back,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

TIP-INS

Hawks: Bazemore scored Atlanta’s first seven points, and was the only Hawk to score in the first 7:13. ... Former Heat forward Luke Babbitt made his first four shots, including a 3-pointer right in front of the Miami bench. ... Belinelli went over the 15,000-minute mark for his career.

Heat: Miami came into the game with an NBA-fewest 21 free throws made this season, and went 12 for 18 — after a 1 for 5 start. ... Out of the first 21 Heat field goals, 12 were 3-pointers. ... Tyler Johnson was 1 for 9, missing all four of his 3-point tries.

TEMPERS

Dragic got shoved in the third quarter, starting a brief exchange of players getting in each other’s faces. Prince was assessed a Flagrant-1, and Dragic, Waiters and Atlanta’s Dewayne Dedmon all were called for technical fouls.

HAWKS INJURIES

Atlanta was without PG Dennis Schroder (sprained left ankle) and F Ersan Ilyasova (strained left knee), both of whom started in Brooklyn on Sunday. That’s on top of the Hawks already missing DeAndre’ Bembry (broken right wrist) and Miles Plumlee (strained right thigh).

WHITESIDE OUT

The Heat were without C Hassan Whiteside (bruised left knee) for a second consecutive game. Whiteside has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in all seven of his appearances against the Hawks. He’s listed as day-to-day.

UP NEXT

Hawks: Atlanta’s season-opening five-game trip ends Thursday in Chicago.

Heat: Miami plays the third game of its six-game homestand Wednesday against San Antonio.

Allen Crabbe scored 20 points, Nets beat Hawks 116-104

By ADRY TORRES
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) -- Allen Crabbe scored 20 points, DeMarre Carroll had 17 and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Atlanta Hawks 116-104 on Sunday.

Caris LeVert and D'Angelo Russell each had 16 points to help the Nets improve to 2-1 with their second straight victory.

Marco Belinelli had 19 points for Atlanta. The Hawks have lost two in a row to drop to 1-2.

Atlanta point guard Dennis Schroeder went down with an apparent ankle injury with 3:37 left and had to be helped off the court.

Brooklyn found a way to win once again without Jeremy Lin, who was lost for the season on opening night with a knee injury, holding off the Hawks after leading by 16 points late in the third.

The Nets led 98-87 with 7:47 go after a pair of free throws from LeVert. Atlanta then went on a 12-2 run, tying it 99 with on Belinelli's 3-pointer with 5:19 left.

Crabbe, who started the second game of the season but came off the bench against Atlanta while LeVert got the nod at shooting guard, hit a pair of 3s during a 7-0 run to put the Nets back up 106-99 with 3:47 to go.

After Carroll's free throw increased the lead 107-99, Ersan Ilyasova's layup cut it down to 107-101, the closest the Hawks would get.

TIP-INS

Hawks: The Hawks are opening with a five-game trip while Phillips Arena goes through a renovation phase.

Nets: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson limped off court with 8:06 in first quarter due to an injury and returned with 4:14 left in the second. He quickly made a nifty layup, converting a three-point play. ... Brooklyn was held to 19 points in the first quarter after averaging 29.5 over their first two games. ... Rookie Jarrett Allen had a career-high four blocks off the bench in 14 minutes.

UP NEXT

Hawks: At Miami on Monday night.

Nets: At Brooklyn on Tuesday night.

Crawford reaches buyout deal with Hawks

Jamal Crawford reached a buyout agreement with the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, and the team requested waivers on the three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year to make him an unrestricted free agent.

Crawford, 37, was acquired by the Hawks in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. The 17-year veteran guard was owed $17.2 million of the $28.75 million left on his contract.

"Thank you (Atlanta Hawks) for allowing me to be a free agent. Much respect," Crawford wrote on his Twitter account Friday.

Crawford played two seasons with the Hawks from 2009-10 to 2010-11.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards are among the teams reportedly interested in signing Crawford. A source told the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Friday that Crawford is "Cleveland's to lose" in free agency.

The Cavaliers could offer Crawford the full $5.2 million taxpayer's mid-level exception.

The former eighth overall draft pick of the Cavaliers in 2000 has averaged 15.3 points and 3.5 assists over 1,182 games with the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers and Clippers.

Crawford spent the last five seasons playing with Los Angeles, averaging 12.3 points and 2.6 assists while shooting 36 percent from 3-point range in a career-high 82 games last season.

John Wall scores 42 points, Wizards knock out Hawks 115-99

By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA (AP) – John Wall had that look in his eye at morning shootaround.

Bradley Beal knew it was going to be a big night for Washington's star point guard.

Wall scored 42 points - a career playoff high , with 19 coming in the fourth quarter to single-handedly hold off a furious Atlanta comeback - and the Wizards eliminated the Hawks with a 115-99 victory Friday, capturing the opening-round playoff series 4-2.

"You could just tell he was locked in," Beal said. "He was ready to go. We just feed off that."

Beal wasn't too shabby either, scoring 31 points.

But this one was all about Wall, who stared down the crowd, jawed with NFL star Julio Jones and other celebrities sitting courtside and hit every big shot down the stretch . He was determined to get back at the Hawks for a second-round loss in 2015, when he missed three games with a broken hand.

"We came here with that focus and determination that we wanted to do the same thing those guys did to us two years ago," Wall said. "Me and Brad led the way. We locked in. Our teammates understood what we had (to do). We didn't want to have a Game 7."

Wall also came up with a huge defensive play that stymied the Hawks' momentum, hustling back to block Dennis Schroder's layup from behind when Atlanta had a chance to close within a single point after being down by as many as 22 .

"I knew he was going to get it," Beal said. "That was an easy play for him."

After claiming the first road victory by either team in the series, the Wizards advanced to face top-seeded Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals . The Celtics closed out the Bulls 4-2 with a 105-83 victory in Chicago.

Game 1 is Sunday in Boston.

Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 31 points, and Schroder had 26. After losing three close games in Washington, the Hawks finally ran out of steam.

"It's tough to get back in the game and then to get over the hump down the stretch," Millsap said. "You wear yourself out so much that it's tough to get over the hump."

Washington pushed out to a double-digit lead late in the first quarter, and closed the first half on a 19-4 run to take a 65-46 lead at the break. The Hawks turned the ball over six times during that five-minute stretch, making things easy for the Wizards.

Atlanta finished with 22 turnovers, including seven by Kent Bazemore.

After his big block on Schroder, Wall somehow got one to fall as he slammed into Millsap, further silencing a crowd that was in a frenzy with the home team rallying. Atlanta's Jose Calderon missed a 3-pointer, and Wall knocked down a pullup jumper to stretch the lead to 97-90.

That was it.

Washington finished on a 22-9 spurt to win going away.

TIP-INS

Wizards: Jason Smith was able to play 12 minutes after leaving Game 5 with a sprained left knee. "Give our staff a lot of credit," coach Scott Brooks said. "There was definitely a chance that he wasn't going to play." ... Markieff Morris finally managed to stay out of foul trouble. He scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and picked up only two fouls.

Hawks: Dwight Howard, a non-factor most of the series, started out aggressively and seemed determined to have a big game. It didn't last. He finished with nine points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes. For the series, Howard averaged just 8.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. ... Tim Hardaway Jr. also had a rough night, hitting only 5 of 18 shots and scoring 13 points.

HEATED EXCHANGE

A series marked by hard feelings nearly took a really ugly turn in the final minute of the first quarter.

Bazemore lost the ball and Beal took off the other way for a layup. Bazemore appeared to give a little shove in the back, sending the Wizards star tumbling out of bounds.

Beal hopped up quickly and gave Bazemore a pop with the shoulder. Smith and Hardaway also got into it, but cooler heads prevailed and no punches were thrown.

All four players received technicals.

EARLY EXIT

The Hawks made their earliest exit from the playoffs since 2014, when they lost to Indiana in the opening round.

After claiming the top seed in the East two years ago and reaching the conference final, Atlanta has steadily regressed. The Hawks slipped to 48-34 last season and lost in the second round. This season, after signing Howard and handing the point guard job to Schroder, they dipped even further, going 43-39 during the regular season.

With Millsap set to become a free agent, it figures to be a very interesting offseason in Atlanta.

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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .

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Home, sweet home: Beal, Wall lead Wizards past Hawks, 103-99

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- John Wall figured the credit went to the down-the-stretch defense displayed by his Washington Wizards.

Neither Dennis Schroder nor coach Mike Budenholzer found any flaws with the way their Atlanta Hawks handled things late.

Either way, the odd manner in which Atlanta seemed to allow the final half-minute or so to slip away while trailing -- not fouling Washington to try to extend things; passing around the ball, instead of shooting it, as the clock headed toward zero -- left the Wizards on the verge of closing out the teams' Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Back at home, and back in charge, Bradley Beal scored 27 points, and Wall added 20 points and 14 assists, leading Washington to a 103-99 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night for a 3-2 series lead.

"I thought they were going to play the foul game -- or at least try to trap. But they let us run the clock down," Wall said, noting that he felt as if he and his teammates finished "with the best scrambling defense we had."

Schroder led the Hawks with 29 points, making a career high-tying five 3s, and 11 assists. But after his basket from beyond the arc pulled Atlanta within 101-99 with 70 seconds left, Wall responded with a 21-foot pull-up jumper. Neither team would score the rest of the way.

"It was right there," Schroder said. "We've just got to be better in crunch time."

A miss followed from Paul Millsap, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds, but after Wall's jumper was off the mark, the Hawks never managed to put the ball in the basket -- including sort of fiddling around as if they didn't realize they were trailing by four.

"We tried to get a clean look," Tim Hardaway Jr. said, "but they just did a good job of ... making it tough on us."

Budenholzer's take?

"I'm not, off the top of my head, frustrated with what we got offensively," he said.

The host has won every game in this series so far.

Washington can reach the conference semifinals by winning Game 6 at Atlanta on Friday night.

"It's got to be us," Budenholzer said, "that's the aggressor."

As it is, the series has been filled with physical play, referee whistles and smack talk, including a "Crybaby" accusation and a comparison to MMA fighting.

Dwight Howard -- who finally came to the fore in Game 4 with 16 points and 15 rebounds -- didn't play much in the second half, picking up his fourth foul with 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter and his fifth off the ball with 8 1/2 minutes to go.

Washington's Markieff Morris picked up No. 4 after 2 1/2 minutes of the third quarter and didn't return until there were less than 6 minutes remaining in the fourth. About 2 1/2 minutes after going back in, Morris drew his fifth foul -- plus a technical for arguing, eliciting derisive chants about the officiating from spectators.

"It's been the hardest it's ever been," Morris said, "for me to stay out of foul trouble."

TIP-INS

Hawks: Howard scored five points. ... Schroder started 4 for 4 on 3-pointers.

Wizards: C Marcin Gortat attempted his first free throws of the entire series with 6:09 left in the fourth quarter. He made the first, rolled his head back as if to say, "Finally!" and then made the second, too.

VEEP

Former Vice President Joe Biden received the loudest ovation of the first half, with plenty in the sellout crowd of 20,356 rising to cheer him when the videoboard showed him sitting courtside.

INJURY NEWS

Wizards front-court reserve Jason Smith left with a bruised left calf and did not return. Coach Scott Brooks said his status is day-to-day. Washington has been without backup C Ian Mahinmi (strained left calf) all series.

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Balanced Hawks hold off Wizards 111-101, even series 2-all

Associated Press

ATLANTA -- In a year when the geezers are coming up big in the NBA playoffs, add another one to the list.

Jose Calderon might be the most unlikely of all.

The 35-year-old Spaniard, picked up on waivers late in the season, made a huge contribution to help the Atlanta Hawks pull away from the Washington Wizards 111-101 on Monday night, evening the opening-round series at 2-all.

Answering the call when Denis Schroder got in early foul trouble, Calderon played 20 minutes, scored 10 points and dished out five assists. He joined some old-timers such as Utah's Joe Johnson and Houston's Nene making significant contributions in the postseason .

Afterward, Calderon sat alongside Dwight Howard at the postgame news conference, a sign of the major role they both played.

That's to be expected from Howard, an eight-time All-Star who finally showed up in the series.

Not so much from Calderon, whose hair is thinning on top.

"I always think I'm going to be on the podium," he quipped, actually managing to hold back a smile for a second or two. "Just stay ready."

Howard had his best game of the postseason, putting up a double-double by halftime and finishing with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Paul Millsap bounced back from a sluggish start to score 19 points. And Schroder, after going scoreless in a first half spent largely on the bench, managed to put up 18 points.

The Hawks had seven players in double figures, also getting a huge contribution off the bench from Kent Bazemore, who had 16 points and doled out seven assists.

But Calderon was the one who really made a difference. The Hawks outscored the Wizards by 29 points when he was on the court.

"He came in, played well, took care of the game," Washington coach Scott Brooks said. "He's just a winner. He makes winning basketball plays for whatever team he's been on."

Bradley Beal scored 32 points for Washington, bouncing back from a dismal performance in Game 3, and John Wall had another stellar performance with 22 points and 10 assists.

Those two, as good as they were, couldn't match a more balanced approach by the Hawks.

Now, a series marked by ill feelings that went so far as Markieff Morris calling Millsap "a crybaby" is down to a best-of-three. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Washington.

"We've got home court for a reason," Wall said. "It's an opportunity for us to go home, take care of what we need to do and come back here on Friday."

Millsap and Schroder helped the Hawks pull away down the stretch.

After snatching an offensive rebound, Millsap managed to get the shot off while being knocked on his backside, the ball dropped in, and he added the free throw for a 3-point play . Schroder followed with a 3-pointer, giving the Hawks a 103-93 lead with 4 1/2 minutes to go.

Of course, it helped that Howard finally made an appearance in the series .

Having taken only 15 shots and scored 18 points in the first three games, he carried the load with Millsap struggling in the first half and Schroder watching from the bench. The enigmatic center had thunderous dunks on back-to-back possessions that really got the home crowd into the game.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Millsap said the shot he made while falling backward was no accident.

He worked on it when he was a youngster in Louisiana.

"For all the kids out there, man, you've got to practice that in the backyard," Millsap said. "Growing up, at my grandma's house, we played on dirt. We used to shoot fall-away shots like that all the time. Practice those shots. There is a place for those shots."

TALK THE TALK

Morris has stirred up plenty of headlines talking about his duel with Millsap.

The Wizards power forward failed to back up his bravado on the court.

Morris got into foul trouble and was held to nine points on 3-of-10 shooting, along with four rebounds.

"The stats say that he hasn't shot the ball well, but he hasn't had a rhythm," Brooks said. "He'll bounce back. We have confidence in how he plays and how he plays for us. We expect him to have a better game in a couple of nights."

TIP-INS

Wizards: Otto Porter Jr. was able to play after leaving Game 3 with a strained neck. He scored 13 points. ... Bojan Bogdanovic was the only other Washington player in double figures, also with 13 points. ...Marcin Gortat had 18 rebounds.

Hawks: With 11 points, Taurean Prince became the first Hawks rookie to reach double-figures in his first four playoff games since Pete Maravich did it in five straight in 1971. ... Among those in the crowd: Hall of Famer Julius Erving, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and at least three members of the Atlanta Falcons: Devonta Freeman, Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel.

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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .

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Hawks deliver early playoff KO, romp past Wizards 116-98

By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA (AP) -- The Hawks are back in the series, and the bad blood with the Washington Wizards shows no signs of letting up.

Paul Millsap scored 29 points, Dennis Schroder had 27 and Atlanta delivered an early knockout blow in a 116-98 victory Saturday, slicing the Wizards' lead to 2-1 in the opening-round playoff matchup.

After two tight losses in Washington exposed plenty of ill feelings between the teams , Millsap and Washington's Markieff Morris continued to go at it in Game 3.

"He's a crybaby," Morris said afterward. "You get all the calls when you're a crybaby. That's how it went tonight."

Those comments were quickly relayed to Millsap at the postgame news conference.

"It definitely got personal now," he replied, before offering some unsolicited advice to Morris: "Take his loss and go back to the hotel, be ready for the next game."

Cheered on by a raucous home crowd, the Hawks built a 25-point lead by late in the first quarter and were never seriously challenged by the Wizards.

John Wall kept up his dazzling play in the series, scoring 29 points, but he was essentially a one-man team. The other Washington starters combined to score 30 points on 14-of-45 shooting.

Beal, in particular, had a miserable night after averaging 26.5 points in the first two games. He was held to 12 points on 6-of-20 shooting, missing all six of his attempts beyond the arc.

"That's probably the most I've ever seen him air-ball in one game," Wall said. "He'll figure it out."

Game 4 is Monday night in Atlanta.

The Hawks came out intent on moving the ball, getting open looks and cutting down on the turnovers that plagued them in the first two contests.

Talk about following the game plan.

Atlanta pushed out to a double-digit lead before the game was 3 minutes old and stretched the margin to 38-13 with just under a minute to go in the opening quarter on Schroder's 3-pointer.

Wall did everything he could to spark the Wizards. He posed along the baseline after a thunderous dunk, which might have had more effect if the Wizards weren't losing by 23 at the time. He somehow made a 3-pointer while falling out of bounds in the corner at the end of the first quarter . He darted through the lane against a collapsing defense to bank in an improbable shot, drawing gasps from the Atlanta crowd.

Wall made all but one shot and scored 21 points in the first half, but the Wizards trailed 64-46 heading to the locker room. The other four Washington starters had just 18 points.

The Hawks took advantage at the other end.

"They jumped on us in that first period," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "Their sense of urgency was very high. I wouldn't say we came out relaxed, but we came out missing shots, and we let that affect out defense."

Millsap also led the Hawks with 14 rebounds.

CONFIDENT ROOKIE

After playing sparingly much of the season, Taurean Prince moved into Atlanta's starting lineup late in the year.

His confidence is growing with each game.

Prince scored 16 points, hit a couple of 3-pointers and energized the Hawks with his aggressive play. He even picked up a technical foul for taunting the Wizards after an alley-oop dunk in the closing minutes .

"Nothing derogatory," Prince said. "Just being competitive."

Millsap praised the rookie for his contribution.

"Every time Taurean touches the floor, he's out there hustling," Millsap said. "He's on the ground. He's a scrappy player. He earned himself some minutes. He's starting in the playoffs because of that."

STRUGGLING STAR

Beal has yet to find his shooting touch in the series, hitting just under 40 percent from the field.

The Wizards insist they aren't worried.

"I like his looks," Brooks said. "I like his shots. He's just going to have to keep shooting `em. Keep getting him open looks, like we have. Every player will go through a stretch of a few games where you're not going to shoot the ball well. He'll bounce back."

TIP INS

Wizards: Wall is averaging 31 points per game in the series. ... F Otto Porter Jr. left in the third quarter with a strained neck and didn't return. ... After a video review, Jason Smith was called for a flagrant foul against Millsap late in the third quarter.

Hawks: C Dwight Howard remains a non-factor in Atlanta's offense. He scored five points and took just four shots, giving him a mere 15 attempts over the first three games. He did have 11 rebounds. ... Schroder had some issues at the free-throw line, making only half of his eight attempts. Millsap did, too, going 5 of 9. ... Atlanta had a double-digit lead for the final 44:24 of the game. ... The Hawks had just 11 turnovers, a sharp decline from Games 1 and 2.

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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .

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Hawks strive to rebound from hole against Wizards

Stats, LLC

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks hope a return to their homecourt will provide the boost they need to overcome the odds and get back in their first-round playoff series. But the Washington Wizards have other ideas.

The two teams play Game 3 on Saturday at Philips Arena, with Washington holding a 2-0 lead.

"They have home-court advantage," Atlanta forward Paul Millsap told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "They played off of that. To us, it's 0-0. We are going back to Atlanta. We are still confident."

Washington guard John Wall said, "We're supposed to protect home court. We're supposed to win. Now we have to go on the road and try to get a game there. We feel like we haven't played our best basketball yet."

Washington won three of the four regular-season meetings. The two teams split the two games in Atlanta. Including the playoffs, Washington has won five straight against the Hawks.

Although Atlanta does have the next two games at home -- where the Hawks are 23-18 this season -- only 18 teams have erased a 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-seven series.

"We had a chance in both games," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "We gave ourselves a chance on the road in the playoffs. Nobody likes the result. Nobody feels any better. But the fact that you are there and you have an opportunity, you have to keep building on it."

Turnovers have been a big stumbling block for Atlanta in the first two games. The Hawks turned it over 16 times in the second game, six of them in the fourth quarter. They committed three turnovers in the final five minutes, leading to a 16-4 run for Washington.

"Turnovers killed us," Millsap said. "We didn't execute. We let them play their style of game. When we do that, they obviously hurt us getting up and down the court. We have to do a better job of taking care of the ball, especially in the fourth quarter."

Atlanta must also find a way to slow Washington's guard tandem of Wall and Bradley Beal. They combined for 54 points in the opener and 63 points in the second game. In Game 1, Wall became the first player since 2011 to record 32 points and 14 assists in a playoff game, a feat accomplished only four times since 2000.

The Wizards have also gotten a solid effort from center Marcin Gortat, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds in both games. Gortat has gotten the best of Atlanta center Dwight Howard, who was limited to six points and seven rebounds in Game 2 and played only 20 minutes.

The Wizards finished the season as one of the league's hottest teams and have not slowed down in the postseason. Washington was 43-21 over the final 64 games, the third-most in the league behind Golden State and San Antonio.

The only player known to be out is Ian Mahinmi, Washington's backup center, who will miss at least Games 3 and 4 with a strained left calf. Mahinmi has yet to play in the series.

The fourth game will be Monday in Atlanta. A fifth game, if needed, would return to Washington on April 26.

Beal, Wall score 20 of last 21 for Wiz to beat Hawks 109-101

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Sports Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Through the first three quarters of Game 2 of the Washington Wizards' opening playoff series, Bradley Beal made only 6 of 18 shots. And that came after shooting just 9 for 21 in Game 1.

Did all of those misses bother him? Not one bit. Instead, he relied on a silly play on words that he says his agent taught him.

"It's something I always tell myself: I don't know what a `miss' is. A `miss' is a `lady,'" Beal explained with a smile. "Everybody's confident in me. Coach is more than confident in me. So I just rise up and shoot it."

In a rough-and-tumble, foul-filled game, Beal and backcourt mate John Wall took over in the fourth quarter Wednesday night, combining to score 20 of Washington's last 21 points in a 109-101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks that gave the Wizards a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference series.

Beal finished with 31 points, 16 on 6-of-9 shooting in the final period.

"He's a franchise guy, with me, also on this team. We need him to be the scorer for us," Wall said. "We don't care if he shoots the ball 30 times."

Wall earned chants of "M-V-P!" while contributing 32 points and nine assists, including a dish to Beal for his key 3-pointer with 38 seconds remaining that sealed the win for the hosts. As soon as Beal let the ball fly, Wall raised both arms in celebration.

"When he shoots it," Wall said of that shot, "it's game over."

Washington, which trailed 78-74 entering the final period, won despite a total of only seven points from starting forwards Markieff Morris and Otto Porter Jr., who were both in foul trouble early.

"It was a tricky game to coach," said Washington's Scott Brooks, who avoided postgame criticism of the officiating, joking that he already knew he would be getting a text message from his daughter about a $2,000 fine he drew for a technical foul.

Game 3 is Saturday at Atlanta.

Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Dennis Schroder scored 23 points. But Dwight Howard had only seven rebounds, half his Game 1 total, and six points. Afterward, Howard responded to three consecutive questions from reporters with "I don't know," then replied "No" to one, before going back to "I don't know."

After Washington won the series opener over the weekend, Millsap bemoaned aloud about how things went, saying: "The difference in the game is we were playing basketball and they were playing MMA."

That became a talking point during the off days, and perhaps affected the way Game 2 was called. It was hardly akin to a mixed martial arts bout, but the officials sure seemed determined to use their whistles upon seeing anything resembling a foul.

There were 29 personal fouls in the opening 24 minutes, 55 for the game. In the third quarter, many voices in the sellout crowd of 20,356 joined in full-throated chants of derision directed at the officials.

TIP-INS

Hawks: Shot 0 for 8 on 3-point attempts in the first half, and finished 4 for 20. ... Held Washington 16 fast-break points, nine fewer than in Game 1.

Wizards: Backup C Ian Mahinmi sat out again with a strained left calf; Brooks said he'll miss Game 3.

WHERE WAS HOWARD?

Howard finished with a hair under 20 minutes and only took five shots.

"Just went with some of our smaller groups and he didn't get back in," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Just a little bit of a gut feel."

JENNINGS CONTRIBUTES

Backup G Brandon Jennings accounted for eight consecutive points while Wall rested in the fourth quarter.

"We were a little stagnant on offense," Beal said. "He pushes the pace every time he's in the game, which is what we needed."

SMALL BALL

According to Millsap, Atlanta has a big edge when both teams play with smaller lineups, something Washington was forced to do as fouls accumulated.

"It's simple: Our small ball is better than theirs," Millsap said. "We think we play small ball better than anybody in the league."

UP NEXT

Game 3 is Saturday.

Wall scores playoff-best 32 as Wizards beat Hawks in Game 1

By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) – After John Wall told Markieff Morris what to expect in his NBA playoff debut, the Washington Wizards' All-Star guard showed everyone his postseason best.

Wall scored a playoff career-high 32 points and dished out 14 assists and Morris added 21 points as the Wizards rebounded from a rough second quarter to beat the Atlanta Hawks 114-107 Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round series. Feeding off Morris' hot start to the second half, Wall scored 15 points in the third quarter alone as Washington pulled away to take the series lead.

"John can take over games, he can take over quarters, he can take over plays," coach Scott Brooks said. "He's a tremendous competitor and he plays with toughness and he gets shots - 32 and 14, that's high level All-Star game."

Wall hadn't forgotten the five fractures in his left hand and wrist that cost him three games against Atlanta two years ago, a series Washington lost as a result. Conscious that he couldn't do it all himself, Wall embraced the role as defensive stopper and facilitator on Sunday.

Seconds after feeding Morris for a dunk in his monster third quarter, Wall pointed to the court to deliver the message: "This is my house."

"I play with a lot of energy, a lot of intensity," Wall said. "When I'm not being aggressive like that and into it, I'm not a great player. But when I'm into it like that, if I'm scoring or my teammates are scoring, I'm always going to be hyped."

Even as each team shot 28 percent from 3-point territory, scoring wasn't a problem. Wizards guard Bradley Beal didn't let a 3 for 10 start stunt his confidence, and he finished 6 of 11 for 22 points.

"He's like, just reboot the computer every miss and just focus on making the next shot," Brooks said.

That offense from Wall, Beal and Morris was enough to offset 25 points from Atlanta's Dennis Schroder and 19 from Paul Millsap, who wasn't pleased with Washington's physicality and exchanged words with Morris going into halftime.

"The difference in the game is we were playing basketball and they were playing MMA," Millsap said.

Despite the Hawks making 39 trips to the free-throw line, compared to the Wizards' 17, the difference was the third quarter when Morris and Wall took over.

"They were more aggressive than us in the third quarter on both ends," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Usually the aggressor is rewarded."

TIP-INS

HAWKS: Schroder shot 8 of 16 and didn't appear to be hampered by a sprained foot that he said hurt but not enough to keep him out. ... The Hawks' 22 first-half free-throw attempts and 19 makes were their most in the first half of a playoff game since 2009 against Miami. ... Dwight Howard was held to seven points but had 14 rebounds. ... Thabo Sefolosha did not play, but Budenholzer said he was healthy.

WIZARDS: In addition to containing Howard, C Marcin Gortat had 14 points on 7 of 11 shooting and 10 rebounds. ... Wall said he could tell bench players were nervous early, but the second unit responded as Brandon Jennings finished with five assists and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 11 points.

M-V-P WALL

Twice when Wall stepped to the free-throw line, fans serenaded him with chants of "M-V-P." Despite Jennings' Players' Tribune essay making the case for Wall as MVP, Washington's four-time All-Star broke it down as Russell Westbrook vs. James Harden, with Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Isaiah Thomas and himself in the next tier.

"I won't be finishing first," Wall said. "I've still got some climbing to do."

FRESH PRINCE

Budenholzer elected to keep Taurean Prince in the starting lineup, and the rookie rewarded that trust with 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting.

"He just played basketball," Budenolzer said. "He does a lot of things on both ends of the court."

TRANSITION D

Understanding how important transition defense would be against the Wizards, the Hawks had 17 written in their locker room - the number of transition points they allowed in the first half. They were better in the second half but feel that needs to improve.

"We've got to stop the transition," said Tim Hardaway Jr., who shot 2 of 11. "That's just the first step in us getting better."

UP NEXT

The Hawks remain in Washington for practice with a couple of days before Game 2 at Verizon Center on Wednesday night.

Resurgent Hawks rout Hornets 103-76 for 4th straight victory

By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA (AP) After a maddening, up-and-down season, the Atlanta Hawks seem to be getting hot at just the right time.

Playoff time.

Dwight Howard had 19 points and 12 rebounds as the resurgent Hawks won their fourth straight game, routing the listless Charlotte Hornets 103-76 on Tuesday night to wrap up the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks will face the Washington Wizards in the opening round of the postseason.

"We think we can beat anybody that's coming our way," guard Dennis Schroder said. "We've still got to get better, but we're heading in the right direction for sure."

A week ago, Atlanta's playoff hopes were in jeopardy after a dismal stretch that included two losses to Brooklyn, the worst team in the NBA.

Then, in a sudden turnaround that epitomized the team's inconsistent play all season, the Hawks knocked off East-leading Boston and recorded two straight stunning victories over the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers, including Sunday's comeback from a 26-point deficit .

This one was never in doubt. Charlotte played its regular-season finale already eliminated from the playoffs and without its best player, Kemba Walker.

It showed.

Atlanta raced out to a 63-44 lead by halftime, shooting 71 percent (24 of 34) over the first two quarters.

"There was a lot of good stuff at both ends of the court," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said, before adding a word of caution . "We've been here before. We've got to stay hungry, stay edgy. The last four or five games, it's been a simple message: compete and play together.

All 13 players scored for the Hawks, who were able to rest their starters in the second half. Paul Millsap and Ersan Ilyasova added 10 points apiece.

"We showed that we've got a bunch of guys who are ready to play," said backup point guard Jose Calderon, who was on the court for more than 17 minutes. "That gives us confidence."

Jeremy Lamb led the Hornets with 21 points, but it was a forgettable ending to a disappointing year in Charlotte.

"The season was a letdown for us," Lamb said. "We've just to learn from it."

TIP-INS

Hornets: Closed the season with a five-game losing streak. ... Michael Kidd-Gilchrist became the third Charlotte player in the last four seasons to start at least 81 games in a season. Walker and Marvin Williams did it last season. ... Lamb is a native of suburban Norcross. ... The Hornets shot just 33 percent from the field.

Hawks: Howard posted his 53rd double-double of the season. ... Thabo Sefolosha scored four points in 15 minutes after missing eight games with a right groin strain. ... Atlanta announced before the game that manager of basketball operations Malik Rose will serve as general manager of their new D-League team beginning next season. ... How long had it been since the Hawks defeated the defending NBA champion in back-to-back games? It last happened in February 1984, when Atlanta beat Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers on consecutive nights.

KEMBA SITS

The Hornets shut Walker down for the final two games of the regular season, officially because of left knee soreness but largely to ensure he didn't sustain a needless injury for a team already eliminated from the playoffs.

Walker finished at 23.2 points a game, the best year of his career.

Charlotte was also without another double-figure scorer, Marco Belinelli, who missed the last three games of the season with a strained left finger.

MILLSAP'S AWARD

Before the game, Millsap received the team's Jason Collier Memorial Trophy for community service.

The award is named after the former Hawks center who died in 2005 at age 28 from a heart condition.

UP NEXT

Hornets: Summer vacation. Finished at 36-46, a significant drop-off from the 48-34 mark posted by last year's playoff team.

Hawks: Close the regular season at Indiana on Wednesday night. The game means nothing to Atlanta, but the Pacers are still trying to lock up a playoff berth.

Letdown: LeBron, Cavs stunned by Hardaway, Hawks 114-100

By TOM WITHERS
Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) – As the jaw-dropping loss began to sink in, LeBron James sat on the floor away from his teammates, alone in his thoughts.

The playoffs are just days away, and the NBA champions are lost again.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Atlanta Hawks, despite resting center Dwight Howard and sitting three other key starters, stunned James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-100 on Friday night.

Coming off a win over Boston on Thursday night, the Hawks outworked and outgunned the Cavs, who blew a chance to move closer to securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference with the kind of flat, uninspired performance that has become the norm in a disjointed season.

"The energy level was just real bad," a disillusioned James said afterward. "I don't know why."

James struggled to explain what went wrong just two days after the Cavs had played one of their best games this season, blowing the Celtics out in Boston. That win seemed to signal a change, an acknowledgment that the postseason was quickly approaching and it was time to get serious.

And now, this.

"You expect for us to want to get better and we were doing that and we took a couple steps back tonight," James said.

Mike Dunleavy added 20 for Atlanta and the veteran got a little revenge against the Cavs, who tossed him in as part of a trade for Kyle Korver in February. The Hawks recorded 39 assists and moved a game ahead of Milwaukee for fifth place in the East.

However, the Hawks, who also sat Paul Millsap, Kent Bazemore and Dennis Schroder, weren't celebrating. They host the Cavs on Sunday.

"It doesn't mean anything," Hardaway said. "We've got to see them again. We know they're a great basketball team and they're the defending champs. We've got to come back on Sunday with the same intensity and the same mindset because they're going to come after it."

It was a shocking letdown by the Cavs, who have dealt with injuries all season, but don't have any excuse for not giving it their all with so much at stake.

"Obviously a bad performance," coach Tyronn Lue said. "To beat Boston and have the game that we had and to come back and not validate it against a team that didn't even play their guys. I didn't think we respected them tonight. I thought we thought we'd just mess around with the game until it was time to knuckle down.

"By that time they already had confidence. That's who we've been. That's who we are. I hate it. These games like this come back and bite you, especially down the stretch when you're trying to get some rest. Trying to hold onto that No. 1 seed and getting rest and you come out and have a performance like this, it's not good."

James scored 27 and Kyrie Irving 18 for Cleveland, which was in a funk for most of the night but took an 87-85 lead in the fourth on a 3-pointer by Korver.

Hardaway took over from there.

Although listed as questionable before the game with knee and wrist injuries, Hardaway buried a pair of 3-pointers and delivered a vicious dunk during a 12-0 run when the Hawks put it away, shocking a sellout crowd and the Cavs who seem to have much more to worry about than their playoff seeding.

TIP-INS

Hawks: The decision to sit Howard wasn't announced until 40 minutes before tip-off. Coach Mike Budenholzer initially said Schroder would play. ... Millsap (swollen left knee) and Bazemore (bone bruise) aren't ready to play in consecutive games as they recover from injuries. ... G/F Thabo Sefolosha announced he'll make a donation from his court settlement after breaking his leg in a fracas outside a Manhattan nightclub in 2015. Sefolosha will reportedly receive $4 million and give "a substantial portion" to an organization that helps support and train public defenders.

Cavaliers: C Tristan Thompson missed his second straight game with a sprained thumb. Lue offered few details about Thompson's injury or a timeline on a return. Thompson got hurt Tuesday against Orlando and missed Wednesday's game in Boston, snapping his streak of consecutive games played at 447.

IRVING'S KNEE

Irving has been bothered by tightness in his surgically repaired left knee and said Thursday it felt "terrible." He went to the locker room in the third quarter for treatment, returned and checked in with 7:11 left.

"I'm doing everything possible to take care of my body, I've got a clear conscience with that," he said. "But I also understand that sometimes it's going to hurt. And I've got to be able to deal with it. So the next few days are pretty important."

UP NEXT

Hawks: Host the Cavaliers on Sunday.

Cavaliers: On their last visit to Atlanta, Cleveland made an NBA-record 25 3-pointers.

Millsap, Hardaway boost Hawks past Celtics

By GEORGE HENRY
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) With Paul Millsap back on the floor, Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer likes his team's chances to get in the playoffs.

"At some point, we just needed to win a game, and I think that's where our focus is," Budenholzer said. "These are good teams in these next games that will prepare you for the playoffs."

Millsap scored 26 points in a reserve role, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 and Atlanta snapped a two-game skid with a 123-116 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

Isaiah Thomas scored 35 points, Jae Crowder had 24 and Marcus Smart 18 for the Celtics. They have dropped two in a row after winning five of seven.

Rookie Taurean Prince finished with a career-high 20 points, and Dennis Schroder added 18 for Atlanta. The Hawks had lost nine of 11.

Millsap, recovering from a knee injury, credited steady ball movement and strong pick-and-rolls with his team's strong night offensively.

"That's how we've got to play," he said. "This is our team, and if we continue to do that, we'll be able to score."

Schroder hit a straightaway 3 to make it 116-107 with 2:07 remaining before Thomas' corner 3 with 55.3 seconds to go cut the lead to five. The Celtics didn't get any closer the rest of the way.

Boston fell 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the East lead, but is still two games ahead of third-place Toronto. Fifth-place Atlanta, which led by 20 in the third, moved one-half game ahead of Milwaukee. The regular season ends and the playoffs start next week.

One night after losing by 23 at home to the defending champion Cavaliers, Boston allowed 71 points in the first half and trailed by 16 at halftime.

The Celtics were sluggish defensively and looked tired during much of the night on Atlanta's end, getting outrebounded 52-38 and getting called for too many fouls underneath.

Boston coach Brad Stevens liked what he saw, though, from his bench.

"Sometimes you feel like you found something in a loss, and I feel like we can build on this one," Stevens said. "Last night, no. This one, yeah."

ON THE MEND, ON THE FLOOR

Millsap didn't start for the second straight game as Budenholzer works him back from a sore left knee. The four-time All-Star won't play Friday at Cleveland, missing his ninth game in the last 11, but he's expected to return to the starting lineup Sunday against the Cavs.

"The first few possessions out there, it took me a little bit to get in a groove," Millsap said. "I think I got an offensive foul and ran over a guy, but as soon as I settled down I was able to get going."

NOT WELCOME HOME

Al Horford, in his second game back in Atlanta after spending his first nine seasons with the Hawks, was whistled five times by the middle of the third and went to bench with just two points, two rebounds and three assists. He finished with four points on 1-for-7 shooting.

Horford was a classy citizen and tireless worker on the court, but fans, still upset that he left as a free agent, again booed him every time he touched the ball.

"The most frustrating thing for me was the fouls," he said. "It just took my out of my rhythm. That was hard for me."

STREAK SNAPPED

Dwight Howard's streak of double-doubles ended at 10 games, his longest since last season with Houston and the longest Hawks streak since Kevin Willis had 21 straight in 1991-92.

UP NEXT

Celtics: At Charlotte on Saturday. Boston has won three straight overall four straight on the road in the series.

Hawks: Visit Cleveland on Friday and host the Cavaliers on Sunday. Cleveland has won 12 of 13 in the series, including the playoffs. In a 135-130 win last month, the Cavs hit 25 3-pointers, an NBA regular-season record.

Butler scores 33, Bulls beat Hawks 106-104

By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO (AP) Jimmy Butler saw confidence and swagger, a team embracing the moment. No one welcomed it more with open arms than he did.

Butler scored 33 points and hit two free throws with 2.1 seconds left to lift the Chicago Bulls to a 106-104 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

"I see guys doing what they're supposed to be doing - playing hard, shooting the ball when they're open, not trying to do too much," Butler said. "That's what we need."

Butler scored the Bulls' final nine points. His free throws gave them a two-point lead and capped a 15-4 run.

Tim Hardaway Jr. then missed a 3-pointer for Atlanta as time expired, giving the Bulls their third straight win.

Chicago also moved into seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls are tied with Miami and Indiana at 37-39 but own tiebreakers over the Heat and Pacers. Sixth-place Atlanta (39-37) - which had won two straight after dropping seven in a row - trails Milwaukee by a game.

Rajon Rondo had a season-high 25 points and added 11 rebounds. Denzel Valentine scored 13 points, hitting two 3-pointers down the stretch to help the Bulls stop a seven-game losing streak to Atlanta.

The win comes on the heels of a victory over LeBron James and the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

"We had a great win a couple of days ago, but it means nothing if we came out and laid an egg tonight," Rondo said. "Also, these guys have beaten us seven straight times."

Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 29 points. Hardaway scored 20, and Dwight Howard finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

"They responded well and you have to give them credit," Schroder said. "We've got to execute better in crunch time and just do a better job, screening, rolling to the basket and taking care of the ball."

TIP-INS

Hawks: All-Star F Paul Millsap missed his eighth consecutive game because of a left knee ailment. Coach Mike Budenholzer said Millsap is "making positive progress," though the Hawks are being "aggressively cautious" with him. If Millsap misses Sunday's game at Brooklyn, he will have three more days before the Hawks host Boston on Thursday. ... F Mike Dunleavy Jr. played 12 minutes but did not score after missing a game because of a sore right ankle, while F Thabo Sefolosha (strained right groin) sat out his fourth in a row. G Malcolm Delaney sat out with back spasms.

Bulls: Butler was 10 of 10 at the foul line. ... The Bulls hit 12 3-pointers, their sixth straight game with at least 10.

FINAL PUSH

The Bulls trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter and were down 100-91 with less than five minutes to go.

Valentine hit a pair of 3-pointers to start the game-ending run, and Butler took over from there. He tied it at 102-all when he connected from long range with 1:59 left.

Schroder pulled up for the go-ahead jumper after Butler's baseline shot hit the front of the rim to give the Hawks a 104-102 lead with 35 seconds left. Butler immediately answered with a driving layup to tie it again.

After a timeout, Schroder lost his dribble out of bounds with 25 seconds left. Butler then got fouled by Kent Bazemore as he attempted a jumper with 2.1 seconds remaining and hit both free throws as the crowd chanted "MVP! MVP!"

Hardaway's 3 after a timeout then hit the back of the rim as time expired.

"I should have pump-faked," Hardaway said. "Two seconds left, I think that's an easy pump-fake, one-dribble shot. I think I had time. But it felt great coming off my hands. It felt great. It was in line. It just was a little bit long."

UP NEXT

Hawks: Visit Brooklyn on Sunday.

Bulls: Visit New Orleans on Sunday.