Hawks top Nuggets for 6th straight win

Paul Milsap scored 23 points and the Hawks stayed red-hot with a 96-84 victory over Denver Sunday at Philips Arena.

Milsap hit 4-of-5 from three-point range for Atlanta (13-6), which won its sixth consecutive game. Six different players scored during a 17-3 run as the hosts grabbed a 38-22 lead midway through the first. The lead grew to as much as many as 24 points with Milsap hitting a pair of free throws to make it a 62-38 game less than a minute into the second half.

“We came out, we got a little bit of a cushion with our defense,” said Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer. “And I thought a lot of different guys contributed.”

Denver (9-11), losers of three consecutive games, pulled as close as 87-80 on a bucket by Wilson Chandler with about three and a half minutes to play in the game. Kyle Korver answered with a 3-pointer, part of his 15-point day, and after a Jeff Teague lay up it was 92-80 with two and a half minutes left.

“I think we’ve got to be sharper in the third quarter and throughout the second half,” said Budenholzer. “I think defensively overall our activity was pretty good, we just want to keep trying to do it for a little more of the 48 (minutes of a game).”

DeMarre Carroll and Al Horford added 11 each for the Hawks, whose 9-2 home record is tied with Washington for tops in the Eastern Conference. Chandler poured in a game-high 29 points to pace the Nuggets.

A look at the rest of Sunday’s NBA action.

Boston 101, Washington 93

Rajon Rondo recorded his second triple-double of the year to lead the Celtics to an afternoon win.

It was the 31st triple-double of Rondo’s career as the point guard contributed 13 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Jeff Green scored 25 points and reserve Marcus Thornton added 21 for Boston (7-11), which won its third consecutive game.

Rasual Butler scored 22 points off the bench and John Wall had 17 points and 14 assists to lead Washington (13-6), which had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Portland 103, New York 99

LaMarcus Aldridge’s two free throws with 2:46 left gave the Trailblazers the lead for good at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks (4-18) had erased an 11-point fourth quarter deficit and taken a 97-95 lead on the last of Carmelo Anthony’s 23 points at the 3:32 mark.

Aldridge, who had a game-high 24 points, added a lay up and a 14-foot jumper down the stretch for Portland (16-4). Meanwhile, the Knicks misery continued with their eighth consecutive loss.

Dallas 125, Milwaukee 102

The highest scoring team in the NBA shot a blistering 59 percent from the field in topping Milwaukee for the second time in five days.

Chandler Parsons led the way for Dallas (16-6), hitting 11 of his 14 shot attempts for a game-high 28 points. Dirk Nowitzki (8-of-12, 21 points) and Monta Ellis (7-of-13, 19 points) also contributed heavily to the Mavericks’ fifth consecutive win in the series.

Six different players were in double figures for Milwaukee (11-11), led by 18 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Oklahoma City 96, Detroit 94

Kevin Durant scored a season-high 28 points in helping hand the Pistons their 12th consecutive loss.

Detroit (3-18) had gotten to within 93-92 on a Kyle Singler 3-pointer with 2:17 to play in the game, but Durant answered with a three at the two-minute mark and it was 96-92. The Pistons had a chance to win the game, but Josh Smith missed a long three with one second to play.

Detroit, which hasn’t won since defeating the Durant-less Thunder in overtime on November 14, continues to suffer through its worst losing skid since dropping 13 straight from December, 2009-January, 2010.

Durant was playing in his third game since returning from a foot injury and hit 10 of his 19 shot attempts. Russell Westbrook added 22 for the Thunder (7-13), who won for the fourth time in five games.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope paced the Pistons with 19 points.

Memphis 103, Miami 87

The Grizzlies won for the ninth time in 10 home games, thanks to balanced scoring effort.

Five finished in double figures, led by reserve Jon Leuer’s 20 points. Mike Conley added 18 points, while Courtney Lee and Zach Randolph chipped in with 17 each for Memphis (16-4), which snapped a brief, two-game losing streak that included its first loss at FedEx Forum to San Antonio on Friday.

Dwyane Wade had a game-high 25 points and added six assists for the Heat (9-11).

New Orleans 104, Los Angeles Lakers 87

Anthony Davis scored 23 points and Jrue Holiday added 22 points and eight assists in the Pelicans’ easy road victory.

New Orleans (9-10) never trailed after Luke Babbitt drained a 3-pointer 4:14 into the game and led by as much as 24 points. Los Angeles not only fell to 5-16 overall - its worst 21-game start since the 1966-1967 team began 7-14 - but has won just twice in 11 home games.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 14 points, but made just 6-of-18 from the field.

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