Jalen Johnson scored 29 points, Dyson Daniels finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and the visiting Atlanta Hawks outscored Denver 36-12 in the fourth quarter to beat the Nuggets 110- 87 on Friday night.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 22 points, Onyeka Okongwu contributed 15 points and Keaton Wallace added 10 for Atlanta, which was playing its first game since four-time All-Star Trae Young was dealt to Washington.
Peyton Watson scored 25 points, Aaron Gordon added 14, Zeke Nnaji finished with 12, and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Hunter Tyson scored 10 each for Denver, which was 4-for-17 shooting in the fourth quarter.
The Nuggets played without Jamal Murray and Spencer Jones, both nursing left ankle injuries, in addition to the absences of Nikola Jokic (left knee), Jonas Valanciunas (calf) and Cameron Johnson (right knee).
Hawks forward Kristaps Porzingis (Achilles) was sidelined. CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, acquired in the Young deal, have yet to join the team.
Atlanta trailed by one entering the fourth quarter but blitzed Denver to take control. Daniels opened the period with a three-point play, Asa Newell hit a layup and Wallace drained a 3-pointer after Nnaji converted a three-point play for the Nuggets.
The Hawks continued to pull away. Luke Kennard and Johnson hit from deep, Okongwu hit a hook shot and Johnson’s layup made it 94-78 with 7:29 to play. Atlanta went on a 16-3 run after Denver closed to within 94-81.
The Hawks led 30-28 after the first quarter and held Denver to 22 points in the second to lead 58-50 at halftime. The Nuggets turned it over 12 times in the first half, negating their 52.9% shooting.
Atlanta led 69-61 when tempers flared with 4:03 left in the third quarter. Gordon shoved Mouhamed Gueye after the forward fouled him, and a scrum formed near the Hawks’ basket. Gordon and Gueye were hit with technical fouls, as was Wallace.
Denver gained momentum from the incident, going on a 14-2 run to go ahead, then took a 75-74 lead into the fourth after Okongwu hit a 3-pointer at the horn.
–Field Level Media
