Al Horford made the go-ahead basket on a dunk with 19 seconds remaining, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Brooklyn Nets 114-111 on Wednesday night to complete a season sweep.
Playing without injured All-Star Paul Millsap and further short-handed after Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha were arrested early Wednesday and didn't play, the Hawks recovered after blowing a 12-point, fourth-quarter lead.
Horford scored 24 points and Mike Scott had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Hawks. They won their third straight and improved to 59-19.
Brook Lopez had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets. They fell into a tie with Boston for seventh place in the Eastern Conference, with the Celtics owning the tiebreaker.
That means the Nets would be eighth if the season ended Wednesday and staring at a first-round matchup against the Hawks, who beat Brooklyn by 32 in Atlanta on Saturday night and had "overwhelmed" the Nets in the first three meetings this season, coach Lionel Hollins said before the game.
The Hawks then made nine of their first 12 shots, led by 12 in the first quarter and had reopened a safe lead every team the Nets threatened to cut into it through three quarters.
But down 12 with 8 1/2 minutes remaining, the Nets put together a 12-2 flurry behind Joe Johnson and Jarrett Jack to cut it to 107-105, and finally grabbed their first lead of the game after consecutive baskets by Thaddeus Young made it 109-108 with 3:39 to play.
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Brooklyn had its last lead at 111-110 after Deron Williams' basket with 33.5 seconds remaining. Atlanta answered quickly with Kyle Korver firing a pass inside to Horford for his dunk, and after Jack and Bojan Bogdanovic missed the perimeter on the next trip, Teague added a pair of free throws with 2.7 seconds left. Johnson, a former Hawks star, had a tying 3-point try go in and out.
Johnson finished with 21 points and eight rebounds for the Nets, who will be swapping first-round picks with the Hawks because of their trade for the former All-Star in 2012. It could be a lottery pick if Brooklyn can't hold onto postseason position.
DeMarre Carroll finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, and Teague had 15 points, 12 assists and six rebounds to cap a long day for the Hawks.
Antic and Sefolosha were arrested early Wednesday after police said they blocked officers from trying to start their investigation after Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland and two women were stabbed following an argument on the street near a Manhattan nightclub.
Antic and Sefolosha were charged with obstructing governmental authority and disorderly conduct. They apologized in a statement through the Hawks and said they would contest the charges.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Coach Mike Budenholzer said the Hawks were supporting Antic and Sefolosha, adding the team has no curfew. He said the team would have Sefolosha, who was limping during his court appearance, get his ankle checked. ... Korver made three 3-pointers and has 1,720 for his career, moving past Dale Ellis into 11th place in NBA history.
Nets: Owner Mikhail Prokhorov attended a game for the first time since November, saying business difficulties in Russia kept him there most of the season. He reiterated that he was open to offers for a minority share of the team but that there was nothing on the table and he remained committed to spending in hopes of building a championship club.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Host Charlotte on Friday night.
Nets: Host Washington on Friday night.
