ATLANTA -- Things are looking up for the Los Angeles Clippers, who won for the first time since losing Chris Paul to thumb surgery and are on the verge of getting Blake Griffin back.

Austin Rivers scored 27 points and Jamal Crawford helped hold off a comeback bid by Atlanta in the fourth quarter as the Clippers defeated the Hawks 115-105 on Monday night.

"Austin and Jamal just kept saying over and over in the timeouts, 'We're not going to lose this game. It's our game. It's an important game," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "They just kept saying it and sometimes you believe it."

Crawford, who had been in a slump, hit a 3-pointer after Atlanta had pulled within 102-98 with three minutes left and followed with two more late baskets as he scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half.

"It feels more normal," Crawford said. "At a certain point, it becomes kind of mental and you stop yourself because you're thinking too much. You're doing the same things and getting the same shots you’ve been taking your whole life."

This time the shots fell for Crawford and the Clippers, who shot 50 percent from the field overall and made 14 of 24 shots from behind the 3-point arc. Rivers was 5 of 10 from deep and JJ Redick hit 3 of 4 while scoring 17 points.

"You've got to give them credit. They played well and hit some tough shots," said Dennis Schroder, who had 21 points and seven assists for the Hawks. "Sometimes the offense is better than the defense ... and Jamal Crawford, in the fourth quarter, did what he does."

The Clippers (30-16) had lost their first two games after losing Paul for six to eight weeks, falling to 2-7 without the point guard and Griffin this season.

Griffin has missed more than four weeks after knee surgery, but he will return Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Kent Bazemore had 25 points for the Hawks, 19 of them in the second half. Paul Millsap had 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Atlanta. Dwight Howard contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds.

It was just the third loss in the past 14 games for the Hawks (26-19).

"We didn't come out with a sense of urgency," Millsap said. "We were a little too comfortable and let them get comfortable. When a team is without their stars, they're going to move the ball and try to play the right way. They did that. I think we maybe took a little bit for granted."

The Clippers led by 24 points early in the third quarter, but the Hawks got the deficit down to 85-75 at the end of the quarter as Howard scored 10 points and they started to find their shooting touch.

"We were in a big hole in the first half, but we came out the second half strong," Schroder said. "Just 24 minutes isn't enough. You need 48 minutes."

The Clippers stretched a 30-21 lead after the first quarter to 22 points by midway in the second quarter and led 58-40 at halftime.

Rivers scored 10 points in the first quarter and had 14 when he limped to the locker room with two minutes left in the half to have the left ankle he had turned landing hard on a drive taped.

"Once he came out for the second half, we felt a lot better," said Rivers' coach and father.

The Clippers hit 8 of 14 3-point attempts before intermission, with Redick making 3 of 4 en route to 13 points.

Atlanta shot just 32.5 percent from the field in the first half and was 4 of 14 from behind the 3-point arc. The Hawks finished at 42 percent overall, making 9 of 29 3-point attempts.

NOTES: F Blake Griffin, who missed his 18th straight game since arthroscopic knee surgery, is on track to return to the Clippers' lineup on Tuesday against the 76ers in Philadelphia. Griffin, who last played on Dec. 18, is averaging 21.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists. ... Going with a smaller lineup, the Clippers started G Raymond Felton instead of F/C Marreese Speights. ... Hawks C/F Mike Muscala missed his fifth straight game with a sprained left ankle sustained against Milwaukee on Jan. 15. ... It was the final contest of a three-game homestand for the Hawks, who play at Chicago on Wednesday before returning to Atlanta for weekend tilts against Washington and the New York Knicks. ... The Clippers are in a stretch of five consecutive road games. After the contest in Philadelphia, they are off until playing at Golden State on Saturday.