Nuggets 109, Hawks 107
DENVER -- Guard Ty Lawson had 23 points and eight assists and the Denver Nuggets rallied in the final four minutes before holding on to beat the Atlanta Hawks 109-107 on Thursday night.
Guard Nate Robinson scored 15 points -- including a free throw with 7.5 seconds left -- for the Nuggets, who had six players score in double figures in coach Brian Shaw's first win.
Forward Paul Millsap led Atlanta with 29 points and 10 rebounds and forward Al Horford added 21 points. Both missed jumpers in the final seconds that would have sent the game into overtime.
The score was tied 83-83 after three quarters before the Hawks (2-3) pulled ahead early in the fourth quarter. Guards Kyle Korver and Shelvin Mack hit 3-pointers, Mack scored on a layup and guard Jeff Teague hit a jumper to make it 98-90 midway through the fourth.
Denver (1-3) came back with seven straight points on center JaVale McGee's dunk, Lawson's floater and guard Andre Miller's 3-pointer to make it 98-97 with 3:56 left.
Lawson's jumper gave Denver the lead back. The teams traded baskets, and Lawson's jumper with 1:46 left put the Nuggets ahead for good at 103-102.
His 3-pointer with 59 seconds left gave Denver a 107-102 lead.
Teague's basket made it a three-point game and Millsap hit two free throws with 26 seconds left to close the margin to 107-106.
The teams traded free throws and the Hawks had a chance to tie in the final 7.2 seconds, but Millsap missed a turnaround jumper and Horford couldn't convert on the offensive rebound.
The teams traded runs in the first half before the Nuggets grabbed a 54-51 lead at intermission. Atlanta scored 14 in a row early in the game to take a 10-point lead, but Denver finished the first quarter with an 11-2 run to tie it at 26 heading into the second quarter.
A 12-2 run gave Denver a nine-point lead midway through the second quarter, but the Hawks came back to tie it at 48 late in the quarter.
Millsap led Atlanta with 15 first-half points and Horford had 11.
NOTES: Hawks backup PG Dennis Schroder did not play after being suspended by the league earlier Thursday. Schroder, a rookie, was disciplined by the NBA for hitting DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings in the groin Tuesday. ... Nuggets F Wilson Chandler has begun to work on the court. He has missed the first four games with a strained left hamstring but there is no set timetable for his return. "I'm looking and hoping for him as soon as we can possibly get him," coach Brian Shaw said. "He's starting to do more things. Hopefully, he's coming soon." ... Korver's 3-pointer in the first quarter extended his streak to 78 straight games with at least one. It's the longest current streak in the league and tied for the third-longest streak in NBA history. ... The Nuggets entered having won seven straight home games against the Hawks.
