Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Paul Millsap scored 25 points and Kyle Korver netted 23 as the Atlanta Hawks got back on track with a 107-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at Philips Arena.
Millsap added nine rebounds and six assists for Atlanta, which had dropped five of six coming in. Korver, back from a four-game absence caused by a rib injury, made good on 6-of-9 attempts from 3-point range in a sharp return.
Al Horford contributed 21 points and nine rebounds in a contest the Hawks shot 51.2 percent from the field and were in front most of the way.
"It was probably one of our better games of the season against a really quality opponent," Korver remarked.
Blake Griffin finished with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting in the loss, the Clippers' second straight following a four-game win streak. Chris Paul recorded his 16th double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 assists.
Millsap was particularly a factor early on, dropping in the final nine points of a 12-2 run that staked the Hawks to a 27-15 advantage late in the opening quarter. Atlanta remained comfortably ahead for the majority of the first half, with the lead swelling to 55-40 following a Horford dunk with 1:19 remaining before the Clippers netted the final four points of the period.
"We weren't here tonight defensively," stated Clippers head coach Doc Rivers. "They got comfortable."
Success from the 3-point line fueled the Hawks' 11-point cushion at the break. Atlanta went 7-of-15 on beyond-the-arc shots for the first half, compared to an 0-for-6 showing for Los Angeles.
"For the most part we were playing with passion, running down the floor, passing the ball, setting good screens," said Korver. "That's the kind of basketball we're trying to play."
Atlanta was up by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, though the Clippers began to chip away at the deficit nearing the end of the frame. A Darren Collison putback pulled Los Angeles within 77-70 in the final minute of the session, and Paul made it a 5-point game early in the fourth by knocking down a jumper to make the score 79-74.
The Clippers got no closer, however. The Hawks' Lou Williams buried a trey on the ensuing possession and Los Angeles went scoreless over the next two minutes, with Millsap's successful jumper with 9:10 to go increasing the margin to 84-74.
Atlanta put the game out of reach with a late 9-2 run, which Korver started with another triple and Horford capped with a basket that put the Hawks on top 107-90 with under two minutes remaining.
Game Notes
Korver tied Dana Barros' NBA record of 89 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer made. Barros' streak was accomplished from 1994-96 ... Atlanta finished 12-of-23 on 3-point tries while Los Angeles went just 4-of-19 from long distance ... The Clippers have now lost in five straight visits to Philips Arena since a 121-97 win there in February of 2009 ... Prior to the game, the Hawks assigned rookie point guard Dennis Schroder to the D-League's Bakersfield Jam.
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