Atlanta Hawks hold off Brooklyn Nets comeback

The Atlanta Hawks held off a fightback from the Brooklyn Nets to secure a 107-97 win in game five of their first-round NBA playoff series at the Philips Arena.

The Eastern Conference's top seeds looked like they were heading for a comfortable win when they opened up a 17-point lead by the end of the first quarter as DeMarre Carroll and Al Horford added the points early on.

The visitors, who levelled the series last time out, cut the gap before half time though, with Alan Anderson leading the way to leave the Nets just nine adrift.

Jarrett Jack continued the Brooklyn charge in the fourth quarter, making a series of three-pointers to reduce Atlanta's lead to just three points inside the final five minutes.

Horford tried to keep Atlanta ahead, but two more long-range efforts from Joe Johnson cut the deficit further for the visitors, before Carroll and Jeff Teague put the win beyond doubt in the final 30 seconds.

The win means that the Hawks regain the lead in the series, and can clinch a place in the conference semi-finals when the sides meet again on Friday in Brooklyn.