ATLANTA - Paul Millsap scored 14 of his 20 points in the first quarter and the Atlanta Hawks recovered after losing an early 16-point lead to beat the Orlando Magic 95-88 on Friday night.
Led by Millsap's 3-point shooting, the Hawks sprinted to a 19-3 lead. The Hawks hit their first eight shots before Orlando recovered to lead 45-42 at halftime. Atlanta regained the lead with a strong third quarter, stretched the advantage to 10 points in the final period before having to withstand a final surge from the Magic.
Nikola Vucevic, who had 21 points, made one of two free throws to cut Atlanta's lead to 85-81. A 3-pointer by Tobias Harris with 2 minutes remaining pulled Orlando to within three at 87-84.
Jeff Teague's soft jumper bounced off the rim and through the net for a 91-86 lead.