LaMarcus Aldridge was having his way with the Atlanta Hawks. Unfortunately for the Portland Trail Blazers, their leading scorer went to the locker room with a sprained ankle.
Josh Smith and Joe Johnson have four points each as Atlanta used a 10-2 run to close out the quarter and take a 19-18 lead over Portland through one quarter at the Rose Garden.
The Hawks rallied to take the lead behind strong play from Zaza Pachulia, who posted seven rebounds and dished a pair of assists in the frame. Pachulia was nearly traded to the Houston Rockets for Brad Miller at the trade deadline.
Aldridge had eight points for the Trail Blazers, who shot 50-percent (8-for-16) in the frame.
The Blazers got Marcus Camby back for this one and welcomed Gerald Wallace to the fold. The Portland fans welcomed Wallace to town with a standing ovation when he checked into the game with 4:44 left in the quarter. The former Charlotte Bobcats captain was acquired in a trade deadline deal on Thursday.
The good news is that the Hawks are attacking the post. The bad news is that they've missed quite a few easy shots down low. The Hawks need to keep up the defensive intensity and continue to make shots inside if they want to hang with the Blazers in this one.