ATLANTA -- All-Star forward Paul Millsap shed some protective padding and found his shooting touch Wednesday. The Atlanta Hawks needed it.

Millsap scored 19 points, helping the Hawks stave off a late rally by the Brooklyn Nets to earn a 96-91 victory in Game 2 of an Eastern Conference series.

Atlanta grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Games 3 and 4 are Saturday and Monday at Brooklyn.

Millsap had his best game since injuring his right shoulder two weeks ago in a win over the Nets. Since returning for the regular-season finale, Millsap was playing with a protective pad on the shoulder. He shot a combined 4-for-20 in his two games back, including a 2-of-11 performance in Game 1. He ditched the pad for Game 2 and returned to form, connecting on seven of 11 field-goal tries, including all four of his 3-point attempts.

The Hawks led 75-67 heading into the fourth quarter. Millsap hit a 3-pointer from the wing that extended Atlanta's lead to 82-73 with eight minutes to play. The Nets weren't going away, though.

Brooklyn trimmed the lead to 90-86 on a 3-pointer by forward Joe Johnson with 3:30 to play. A corner 3-pointer by Nets guard Jarrett Jack trimmed the deficit to 90-89 with two minutes to play.

Brooklyn trailed 93-91 and had possession with 27.3 seconds to play. Johnson found point guard Deron Williams open in the corner. Williams stepped inside the 3-point arc and missed a 13-footer that would have tied the score.

Atlanta guard Kyle Korver followed with a pair of clinching free throws.

Korver finished with 17 points. Hawks guard Jeff Teague added 16 points, and forward Al Horford compiled 14 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

Jack led Brooklyn with 23 points, 16 coming in the first half. Center Brook Lopez added 20 points for the Nets, and Johnson, who spent seven seasons with Hawks, finished with 19.

The Hawks stormed out to a 9-2 lead in less than two minutes, forcing an early Nets timeout. But much like in Game 1, Atlanta struggled to put away the underdog Nets. Jack hit a 3-pointer that sparked a 12-0 Brooklyn run. A Johnson mid-range jumper capped the flurry and put the Nets up 42-36 with 5:27 left in the half.

The Hawks rallied in the final five minutes of the first half, with Korver and Millsap both hitting 3-pointers to help Atlanta take a 50-47 lead into halftime.

Brooklyn coach Lionel Hollins tweaked his starting lineup, inserting guard Bojan Bogdanovic in place of Game 1 starter Markel Brown. Bogdanovic scored eight points, and Brown didn't play.

Nets reserve forward Mirza Teletovic returned to action. He had been out since January, when blood clots were found on his lungs. He played just four minutes Wednesday and did not score.

The Hawks won both meetings with the Nets at the Barclays Center this season, and they have a seven-game winning streak against Brooklyn overall.

NOTES: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported before the game that billionaire philanthropist Antony Ressler is leading a group that reached an agreement to buy the Atlanta Hawks. ... Brooklyn coach Lionel Hollins held off longer than normal before releasing his inactives an hour before tipoff. F Earl Clark was inactive. ... The NBA announced Wednesday its first game in Africa will take placed Aug. 1 at Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa. The game will feature Team Africa vs. Team World. ... Hip hop artist and actor Chris "Ludacris" Bridges helped with pregame player introductions and performed at halftime.