ATLANTA -- Having lost two straight games, the Atlanta Hawks came into Saturday's game with some extra motivation.

"I felt like we were a very dangerous team tonight," said Atlanta forward Paul Millsap.

The veteran was perhaps the most dangerous. He overcame foul trouble for the second straight night to come up with 21 points and sparked a big third-quarter outburst that allowed the Atlanta Hawks to beat the Brooklyn Nets 114-86 and break a two-game losing streak.

Millsap scored nine points in the third period when Atlanta used a 29-13 spurt to regain control after squandering a seven-point halftime lead. Millsap went eight-for-13 from the floor and added six rebounds and three assists. It was his third straight game with more than 20 points.

The win gives Atlanta a 2-1 edge in the season series against Brooklyn. The Hawks are now 10-2 at home when leading at halftime. The performance was exactly what was needed for the Hawks, who will play six of their next eight games on the road, four on a West Coast swing.

"It always feels good to win, especially with the tribulations we've had here as of late," guard Kent Bazemore said. "We're a very confident group and what the future holds for us (is positive if) we continue to go out every night expecting to win. Tonight was a good win for us."

Atlanta (24-17) also got 15 points from Bazemore, including three 3-pointers, and 15 points and 10 assists from backup point guard Dennis Schroder. Point guard Jeff Teague scored 12 with seven assists, center Al Horford and forward Tiago Splittler each scored 10.

"We were able to use a lot of different combinations tonight and it was good to see different guys in a little different situation play well," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said.

Brooklyn (11-30) lost its second straight and for the seventh time in eight games. Forward Thaddeus Young led the Nets with 18 points and seven rebounds and guard Joe Johnson scored 14 points. Center Brook Lopez scored 10 after averaging 25.5 in the first two meetings with Atlanta. Point guard Donald Sloan finished with a season-high 12 assists, only two shy of his career best.

"We did a lot of things to try to stay in the game," Brooklyn coach Tony Brown said. "Atlanta hurt us by getting a lot of attempts at the basket. They're one of those teams that move the ball and find the open man pretty good. They work the latter part of the 24-second clock and they generally end up with a good opportunity. We didn't do a good job of defending those plays."

The Hawks shot 50 percent from the floor in the first quarter and took a 27-24 lead, despite eight points from Young.

The Hawks stretched their lead to 12 points with 3:30 left in the second quarter, but Johnson hit back-to-back 3-pointers and paced an 8-3 surge to cut Atlanta's lead to 55-48 at the half. Millsap scored 10 points in the first half, eight of them in the second period, but picked up his third foul with 50.9 seconds left in the half.

The Nets quickly tied the game by scoring the first seven points of the third quarter. Johnson sparked the 7-0 run with a pair of baskets, one a 3-pointer. Mike Budenholzer called a quick timeout and the Hawks responded with a 16-6 run to re-establish a 10-point lead.

The Nets never got closer than nine points the rest of the game.

"They threw a punch to start the third quarter," Budenholzer said. "It was good to see us kind of take that and extend it. We finished the third quarter well and were able to finish it in the fourth."

Lopez said, "We didn't do a good job of taking care of the ball (in the third quarter). They did a really good job scoring on the fast break. They just moved the ball incredibly well as a team in general. It just got away from us."

NOTES: It has been a different January for Atlanta. A year ago, the Hawks did not lose a game all month, but they entered Saturday's game with four losses since Jan. 1. ... Inactive for the Hawks were G Lamar Patterson and C Edy Tavares. Inactive for the Nets were F Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (right ankle fracture), G Jarrett Jack (torn ACL right knee) and F Chris McCullough (right knee). ... Both teams play again Monday as part of the Martin Luther King holiday celebration. The Hawks are at home to face the Orlando Magic. The Nets travel to Toronto to take on the Raptors. ... Nets G Sergey Karasev sprained an ankle in the first quarter and did not return. Karasev played only three minutes and had two points and two rebounds. F Andrea Bargnani sprained an ankle in the fourth quarter and did not return.