Al Horford had 23 points and 12 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks built a big, early lead and coasted to a 98-87 win over the visiting New Jersey Nets on Saturday night.

Josh Smith added 22 points and Jamal Crawford 18 for Atlanta (41-32), which took command at the outset with a 19-0 run in snapping a two-game losing streak.

Hawks guard Joe Johnson scored 12 points before suffering a sprained right thumb in the opening minutes of the third quarter.

Anthony Morrow had 25 points for the Nets (23-49), who lost for the sixth time in seven games and were playing their fifth straight game without injured point guard Deron Williams.

New Jersey whittled a 30-point, third-quarter deficit to 10 with five minutes to play but was unable to get any closer.

The Hawks spotted the Nets a 2-0 lead and responded with 19 consecutive points, including eight by Smith, en route to a 32-15 lead after one quarter and 57-31 cushion at the half.