National Basketball Association

Hardaway starts, scores 21 points; Hawks beat Nuggets 116-98

Published Mar. 18, 2016 12:33 a.m. ET

foxsports

ATLANTA (AP) Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a season-high 21 points in his first start of the season and the surging Atlanta Hawks beat the Denver Nuggets 116-98 on Thursday night.

Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague each had 16 points for the Hawks, who have won four straight and seven of eight to move to third place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks had eight scorers in double figures, including Thabo Sefolosha, who had 14 points.

D.J. Augustine had 17 points and Joffrey Lauvergne had 16 for the Nuggets, who have lost the first three games on their five-game trip.

Hardaway was given the start as Kent Bazemore was held out with a bone bruise in his right knee. Bazemore hurt his knee in a fall late in Wednesday night's win at Detroit.