Atlanta Hawks hold on for 96-84 win over Denver Nuggets

The Atlanta Hawks entered Sunday afternoon’s tilt with the Denver Nuggets playing at their best level of the season. While things weren’t always easy on this day, Mike Budenholzer and his team managed to emerge with a 96-84 victory over Denver, and with that win, the Hawks have won six straight games to improve to a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Atlanta led by as many as 24 points in the game, and with a 21-point halftime lead on the strength of a defense that held the Nuggets to just over 31% shooting in the first half, everything was going well. The third quarter, however, was the “danger zone” area for the Hawks, who were out-scored by a 30-20 margin in the period. Luckily, the lead was large enough to withstand that charge from the visiting Nuggets, and when the dust settled, the Hawks never led by fewer than seven points in the second half.

Paul Millsap was the standout performer offensively for the Hawks, finishing with 23 points on 13 shot attempts, and he was one of four players in double-figures for the team. Defense was the more important side of the ball in this spot, given that the Nuggets struggled offensively to just 84 points in the game, but the offense did more than enough to come away with a win against a Denver team that is respectable.

The Atlanta Hawks will look to continue their winning ways on Monday night, as they travel to face off with an Eastern Conference foe in the Indiana Pacers. Whether the Hawks can keep their winning streak rolling is up for debate, but what isn’t up for discussion is that the Hawks are playing some of the best basketball in the league right now, and the standings are beginning to reflect that positive surge in production.