Atlanta looked to have the Warriors rattled after edging into an 81-80 lead as the final quarter got under way.
But two Andre Iguodala baskets, a Durant jumper and a Shaun Livingston layup gave the Warriors an 8-0 run that put them 88-81 ahead.
Atlanta pulled it back to 88-85 with a Kent Bazemore layup but missed with three-point efforts by Dennis Schroder and Bazemore.
A further Bazemore three-point attempt also failed with two minutes left with the Warriors defending a narrow 91-89 lead.
The Warriors responded with six unanswered points, including four from Durant to give themselves vital breathing space.
Two superb defensive blocks by Draymond Green in the final minute also stymied the Atlanta challenge as the Warriors improved to 16-2.
Durant, meanwhile, led the rebounds with 14 while Klay Thompson added 20 points.
Schroder headed the Atlanta scoring with 24 points as the Hawks slipped to 10-8. It was a sixth defeat in seven games for Atlanta, who had forged a 9-2 start to the campaign earlier in the season.
source: news.abs-cbn.com