The Atlanta Hawks have taken a 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff series with a 96-91 victory against the Brooklyn Nets, despite a second-half comeback from the visitors at the Philips Arena.

Paul Millsap and Al Horford made sure that the Eastern Conference's top seeds made a strong start, opening up a 12-point lead in the first half.

Their advantage was wiped out at the start of the second half though as the Nets added 12 answered points, having already cut the gap before the break, putting them ahead for the first time.

Atlanta struggled with their shooting as they tried to get back into the game, missing nine straight shots and turning the ball over three times before Millsap edged them back ahead.

Brooklyn came back again in the fourth after letting the hosts open up an 11-point lead late on, with Alan Anderson cutting the lead to just one point, but Kent Bazemore's last-gasp attempt came back off the rim, allowing Atlanta to go down the other end and put the win beyond doubt.

The teams play again on Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.