Hawks tops in East after win over Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY -- Jeff Teague scored 25 points, and the surging Atlanta Hawks beat the Utah Jazz 98-92 on Friday night.<br /> <br /> The Hawks (24-8) have won three straight and 19 of 22. Paul Millsap had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Al Horford scored 13 points in Atlanta's sixth consecutive win over a Western Conference opponent.<br /> <br /> The win, coupled with Toronto's 126-105 loss to Golden State on Friday, vaulted Atlanta to one-half game ahead of the Raptors (24-9) for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.<br /> <br /> Gordon Hayward scored 18 points and reserve Dante Exum added 13 points for the Jazz. Utah (11-22) was swept in the season series against Atlanta for a second consecutive year.<br /> <br /> The Jazz put together a 12-1 run to make the game close late in the fourth quarter. Hayward drilled a 3-pointer and drove for a layup on back-to-back possessions to help Utah close to 91-87 with 3:38 remaining.<br /> <br /> But Carroll and Teague then had back-to-back jumpers to put the Hawks ahead 95-87 less than a minute later.<br /> <br /> Atlanta used its stout defense to get off to a fast start. Utah did not make a basket for nearly 6 1/2 minutes in the first quarter, and the Hawks opened a 28-9 lead on Millsap's 3-pointer with 3:41 remaining in the quarter.<br /> <br /> But the Jazz battled back. Exum's 3-pointer with 2:04 left sparked a 19-3 run that carried over to the second quarter. Seldom-used guard Ian Clark capped the lengthy spurt with a 3-pointer that trimmed Atlanta's lead to 31-28.<br /> <br /> The Hawks had a 46-42 lead when they scored on their final five possessions of the first half - capped by three unanswered baskets from Teague - to take a 57-45 lead into the locker room.<br /> <br /> They increased the lead to 76-56 in the third on three free throws from Teague and Millsap after Joe Ingles got called for a shooting foul and technical foul.<br /> <br /> TIP-INS<br /> <br /> Hawks: Atlanta made 22 consecutive free throws and was 26 for 30 from the line for the game. ... Korver reached 1,600 career 3-pointers late in the second quarter. He ranks 15th in NBA history in that category and also ranks eighth all-time in 3-point shooting percentage (.429).<br /> <br /> Jazz: Utah got strong production from its second unit. The Jazz's reserves outscored the Hawks' backups, 47-25. ... Trey Burke was 2 for 19 from the field, including an 0-for-11 performance from 3-point range. ... The Jazz had a 23-9 advantage in second-chance points.<br /> <br /> UP NEXT<br /> <br /> Hawks: Visit Portland on Saturday.<br /> <br /> Jazz: Visit Minnesota on Saturday.

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