Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) - Jeff Teague finished with a game-high 26 points and eight assists as the Atlanta Hawks held off the Utah Jazz, 98-92, on Friday.
Paul Millsap had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Al Horford and DeMarre Carroll chipped in 13 and 10 points, respectively, for the Hawks, who have won three straight and 17 of their last 19 games.
"I feel like we did a good job of pushing the ball once we got stops. We didn't want to settle," said Horford. "We tried to speed the game up a little bit and it worked to our advantage tonight."
Gordon Hayward paced the Jazz with 18 points, Dante Exum netted a career-high 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and Rudy Gobert supplied 11 points, seven boards and four blocks in the loss.
"I think we were just waiting for them to do something in the first bit rather than trying to be the aggressor," Exum said. "When we kind of picked it up a bit and started to get that energy, that's when the game started to improve for us."
The Hawks have won eight straight games against Utah.
After trailing by 20 points late in the third quarter, the Jazz battled back as Gobert hit a pair from the foul line to cut the deficit to 91-82 with five minutes to play.
Hayward knocked down a 3-pointer and went in on a layup for a 91-87 game with 3:38 remaining after Gobert's block at the other end.
Carroll slowed Utah's momentum by cooly knocking down a deep 2 before the shot clock expired. After Derrick Favors missed a pair of free throws, Teague gave the Hawks a 95-87 lead on a floater with 2:48 to play.
Trey Burke and Favors each made a pair of shots at the line for a four-point game, but Carroll, Horford and Teague each split a pair of free throws to seal the win.
Atlanta took control early with a 17-2 swing. Carroll started the run with five straight points and Teague scored eight as the Hawks led 17-6 past the midway point of the opening stanza.
After a pair of Hayward free throws, the Hawks scored 11 of the next 12 points as Millsap's triple made it a 28-9 game with 3:41 left in the first.
Exum and Trevor Booker hit consecutive 3s and the Jazz pulled within three after Ian Clark's shot from beyond ended Utah's 19-3 burst to make it a 31-28 game less than two minutes into the second frame.
Kyle Korver and Teague helped the Hawks open a comfortable lead late in the second. Korver scored five straight before Teague made three baskets as Atlanta used an 11-3 run to take a 57-45 lead into halftime.
Atlanta continued its offensive outburst in the third as a pair of Millsap free throws gave the Hawks a 20-point advantage with 3:47 left in the stanza.
Game Notes
Jazz rookie guard Rodney Hood will miss at least one week due to left foot inflammation. Guard Patrick Christopher, who was starting in place of Hood, left the game after suffering a dislocated right kneecap ... Atlanta has won five straight games on the road since Feb. 2013 ... Utah's last victory over Atlanta was a 90-86 decision on Nov. 12, 2010.
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