ATLANTA (Interstat) — Jalen Johnson scored 30 points in his return from a three-game absence caused by a left ankle sprain, and Atlanta erased a 17-point first-quarter deficit to beat Brooklyn 124-121 on Saturday night at State Farm Arena. The Hawks outscored the Nets 36-26 in the fourth quarter and earned their fourth consecutive win. Brooklyn, which was seeking consecutive victories for the first time this season, fell to 2-7 overall. Atlanta improved to 7-4. Attendance was 16,117.

The Nets opened the game with a 6-0 run on baskets by Nolan Traore and Day’Ron Sharpe, and Traore’s 25-foot 3-pointer made it 9-2 early. Porter’s 3-pointer pushed Brooklyn ahead 12-2, and Randle’s running dunk made it 14-4. Atlanta answered with Alexander-Walker 3-pointers, but Brooklyn kept rolling. Porter’s 17-foot step-back jumper gave the Nets a 33-17 lead with 3:06 left in the first, and Moritz Wagner’s 25-foot bank shot stretched the cushion to 37-24 before Okongwu scored the final three points of the quarter.

The Nets started fast and built a 31-14 lead on Noah Clowney’s 3-pointer with 3:57 left in the opening quarter. Nolan Traore hit a 25-foot 3-pointer and Michael Porter added a 24-foot 3-pointer during the early surge, while Julius Randle and Day’Ron Sharpe also scored inside. Brooklyn led 37-27 after one period. Atlanta began chipping away in the second quarter behind Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu. The Hawks used a 17-6 run to pull within 61-58, and they trailed 70-66 at halftime. Traore and Porter each hit 3-pointers in the second quarter, while Johnson made a running layup and free throw to help Atlanta close the half.

Atlanta’s second-quarter push was fueled by Okongwu, who made a running layup and free throw, and Johnson, who dunked off a Wiggins assist. Brown made three free throws for Brooklyn, and Porter made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. Traore’s 24-foot 3-pointer with 4:46 left in the half gave Brooklyn a 59-46 lead, but Atlanta closed with a 20-11 run. Johnson made two free throws, and Traore’s turnaround jumper with 0.6 seconds left sent Brooklyn into halftime with a 70-66 advantage.

Brooklyn rebuilt a seven-point cushion in the third quarter and carried a 95-88 lead into the fourth. Mikel Brown hit two 3-pointers in the fourth for Brooklyn, and Porter’s layup with 6:02 left in the third gave the Nets an 85-78 edge. Atlanta opened the fourth with back-to-back Wiggins 3-pointers, and his pull-up jumper with 8:54 remaining pulled the Hawks within 97-96. The teams traded baskets until Alexander-Walker’s free throws with 1:26 remaining gave Atlanta its first lead at 115-114. Johnson followed with a driving layup and free throw with 38.5 seconds left to make it 120-114.

Brooklyn pushed its lead back to 81-72 on Sharpe’s two free throws midway through the third. Randle made a running layup and a 17-foot jumper, and Porter’s layup with 6:02 left in the third made it 85-78. Atlanta responded with CJ McCollum’s 3-pointer and Zuby Ejiofor’s 23-foot 3-pointer to cut the margin to 91-86. Wagner made two free throws for Brooklyn, and Chaney Johnson’s two-point basket gave the Nets a 95-88 lead after three quarters.

Randle answered with a driving layup for Brooklyn, and Dyson Daniels made one of two free throws for Atlanta. Okongwu made one free throw to push the lead to 122-116, and Wiggins made one free throw to make it 123-116. Porter made two free throws with 5.5 seconds left for Brooklyn, and Danny Wolf hit a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 121-123. Okongwu made one free throw with 0.2 seconds left to close the scoring.

Johnson finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes. Alexander-Walker added 20 points, three rebounds and one assist. Wiggins had 20 points, four rebounds and six assists. Okongwu contributed 16 points, two rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Dyson Daniels filled the stat sheet with nine points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and one block. Michael Porter led Brooklyn with 25 points and nine rebounds. Julius Randle added 19 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Day’Ron Sharpe recorded 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. Nolan Traore scored 19 points, and Mikel Brown added 18 points and three assists. Chaney Johnson and Danny Wolf also made timely 3-pointers for Brooklyn, while Zuby Ejiofor and Kingston Flemings provided bench scoring for Atlanta.

Atlanta shot 47 of 105 from the floor and 12 of 46 from 3-point range. Brooklyn shot 43 of 89 overall and 14 of 42 from beyond the arc. The Hawks made 18 of 25 free throws; the Nets made 21 of 29. Both teams collected 15 offensive rebounds. Atlanta finished with 11 assists, 10 blocks and 12 turnovers while committing 18 fouls. Brooklyn had 10 assists and 22 turnovers while committing 24 fouls. Brooklyn scored 121 points on 110 possessions for an offensive rating of 110.2, while Atlanta scored 124 points on 114 possessions for an offensive rating of 108.9. Atlanta’s bench also contributed key minutes, with Okongwu’s four blocks helping protect the rim late.

Johnson had recent scoring games of 13 at New Orleans, 17 against Cleveland, 12 against Miami and 21 at Houston before sitting out three contests. Brooklyn’s previous game was a 114-104 home win over Charlotte on Wednesday. Atlanta had won three straight entering Saturday. Brooklyn visits Dallas on Sunday, and Atlanta hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Atlanta 109, Brooklyn 102. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Atlanta with a 91.9 percent probability to win. Atlanta had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -6.5. The total score of 245 went under the over/under line of 226.5.