ATLANTA, March 26 (UPI) -- Al Horford had 23 points and 12 rebounds Saturday and the Atlanta Hawks clinched a playoff berth with a 98-87 win over New Jersey.
Josh Smith scored 22 points -- 10 in the first quarter when the Hawks ran off 19 unanswered points to break a two-game losing streak and win for just the second time in their last six games. Joe Johnson scored 12 points before leaving the game with a sprained right thumb during the third quarter.
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Anthony Morrow led the Nets in scoring with 25 points. New Jersey lost for the sixth time in seven games and dropped to 5-31 on the road.
Atlanta, which leads the Philadelphia 76ers by 3 1/2 games, will be seeded no lower than fifth in the Eastern Conference.
