SB Nation Atlanta - Trail Blazers Vs. Hawks: Atlanta Ruins Gerald Wallace's Debut, Beats Portland 90-83https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46601/atlanta-fave.png2011-02-28T01:19:50-05:00http://atlanta.sbnation.com/rss/stream/17824882011-02-28T01:19:50-05:002011-02-28T01:19:50-05:00Trail Blazers Vs. Hawks: Atlanta Ruins Gerald Wallace's Debut, Beats Portland 90-83
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<p><span>Josh Smith</span> was dunking all over the court. <span>Joe Johnson</span> and <span>Jamal Crawford</span> were hitting shots and <span>Zaza Pachulia</span> looked like a man on a mission to get his playing time back.</p>
<p>Thus, it came as no surprise that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Atlanta Hawks</a> coasted to a 90-83 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blazersedge.com/">Portland Trail Blazers</a> on Sunday night at the Rose Garden. However, in typical Hawks style, they had to make it more difficult than it had to be.</p>
<p>Crawford posted a game-high 23 points and Johnson added 22 as there was not much doubt in this one midway through the second quarter.</p>
<p>Atlanta used a 15-0 run to establish a double-digit lead in the second before scoring 14 of 15 to build a 23 point lead and essentially put the game away in the third as they rolled to their second straight victory. Both wins have coincided with the acquisition of <span>Kirk Hinrich</span>, who posted eight points in this one.</p>
<p>Portland used 16-2 run to cut the lead to 82-76 on <span>Andre Miller</span>'s layup with 2:01 left, but Crawford answered with a 3-pointer to reestablish a nine point lead with 96 seconds remaining. Andre Miller cut the lead back to seven with a bucket with 1:29 remaining.</p>
<p>The Blazers had a chance to make it a five point deficit, but Hinrich drew a crucial charge. Crawford drained a four free throws down the stretch, before Portland responded with a pair of buckets to close the edge to 89-83. Smith split a pair of free throws with 12.8 ticks left to seal the win.</p>
<p>Portland fans are wondering what could have happened if their team actually competed for the entire 48 minutes.</p>
<p>The Blazers welcomed back starting center <span>Marcus Camby</span>, who missed a little more of a month with a torn meniscus in his left knee. It was also the debut of Wallace, who was acquired in a trade deadline deal from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/charlotte-bobcats">Charlotte Bobcats</a>.</p>
<p>Wallace was given a standing ovation when he entered the game with 4:44 left in the first, but struggled to find his shot. He finished with just nine points on (4-for-12) shooting from the field.</p>
<p>The Blazers were just simply beat in their own game. The Hawks controlled the boards, outrebounding Portland 48-34 and dished 16 assists to to the Trail Blazers' 14. Portland turned the ball over 14 times. Atlanta had a season-high 24 turnovers.</p>
<p>Pachulia helped lead the brigade on the boards. The veteran from the Republic of Georgia was held out of Wednesday night's contest against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/">Phoenix Suns</a> as a deal with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/">Houston Rockets</a> for center <span>Brad Miller</span> was a possibility. Even after that deal fell through by the deadline, Pachulia was benched by Hawks coach <span>Larry Drew</span> in Friday's win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State Warriors</a>.</p>
<p>When given the opportunity for redemption, Pachulia was relentless, grabbing 12 boards and posting three assists in 20-plus minutes off of the bench.</p>
<p><span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span> missed part of the first and second quarters with a leg injury. He finished with 19 points and eight boards.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-hawks/2011/2/28/2019805/trail-blazers-vs-hawks-atlanta-ruins-gerald-wallaces-debut-beatsPhil Foley2011-02-28T00:35:15-05:002011-02-28T00:35:15-05:00Trail Blazers vs. Hawks Score: Atlanta Runs Its Way To 68-49 Lead Through Three
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Atlanta Hawks</a> are simply just having their way with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blazersedge.com/">Portland Trail Blazers</a>. They're running up the floor, crashing the paint, scoring with impunity and even playing a little bit of suffocating defense.</p>
<p>The Hawks went on another 14-1 run in the third period to open up a commanding 68-49 lead through three quarters.</p>
<p><span>Joe Johnson</span> and <span>Jamal Crawford</span> have 13 points and <span>Josh Smith</span> and <span>Marvin Williams</span> added 11 each for Atlanta, which lead by as many as 23 on a three-point play by Williams with 4:14 left in the third.</p>
<p><span>Andre Miller</span> has 14 points and <span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span> has 12 for Portland, which is shooting 33-percent (20-for-61) from the field.</p>
<p>For a change, it's not the Hawks that are relying on the perimeter game. Portland is shooting just 1-for-12 from behind the 3-point arc. Atlanta's grabbing the board, running in transition and scoring easy buckets against a tough Trail Blazers team.</p>
<p>Atlanta is winning just about every battle imaginable. They hold a 39-27 advantage on the boards and have dished 15 assists as opposed to Portland's seven. The Blazers have turned over the ball 12 times in the game's first 36 minutes.</p>
<p><span>Zaza Pachulia</span> has 10 rebounds and three assists for the Hawks, who are shooting 44-percent (24-for-55) from the field.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-hawks/2011/2/28/2019777/trail-blazers-vs-hawks-score-atlanta-runs-its-way-to-68-49-leadPhil Foley2011-02-27T23:52:48-05:002011-02-27T23:52:48-05:00Trail Blazers Vs. Hawks Score: LaMarcus Aldridge Back, But Portland Shot Is Not -- Atlanta Leads 48-36 At Half
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<p><span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span> reentered the game midway through second quarter. But by then the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Atlanta Hawks</a> were on quite the roll.</p>
<p>The Hawks scored 15 unanswered points midway through the third quarter to post a 48-36 lead over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blazersedge.com/">Portland Trail Blazers</a> at the break.</p>
<p><span>Jamal Crawford</span> has 11 points and <span>Josh Smith</span> has seven points and six board for Atlanta, which held Portland scoreless for nine straight shots during that second quarter run.</p>
<p><span>Al Horford</span> capped the run with a pair of free throws to open a 42-27 lead with 3:18 left in the frame before the Blazers called time out. <span>Andre Miller</span> finally stopped the bleeding with a layup with 3:00 left before Portland closed the deficit to 12 at the break.</p>
<p>Atlanta seems to be having its way with Portland, uncharacteristically crashing the paint and drawing fouls. The Hawks have gone to the line 16 times in the first half while the Blazers hit the charity stripe on just three occasions.</p>
<p>Aldridge, who left the game with what appeared to be a leg injury in the first quarter, did not score after he returned. Miller and <span>Nicolas Batum</span> have seven each for the Blazers.</p>
<p><span>Gerald Wallace</span> has just four points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field for Portland, which is shooting 38-percent (17-for-45) in the first half.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-hawks/2011/2/27/2019706/trail-blazers-vs-hawks-score-lamarcus-aldridge-back-but-portland-shotPhil Foley2011-02-27T23:16:18-05:002011-02-27T23:16:18-05:00Trail Blazers Vs. Hawks: Atlanta Rallies For 19-18 Lead Through One, LaMarcus Aldridge Injured
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<p><span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span> was having his way with the <a href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Atlanta Hawks</a>. Unfortunately for the <a href="https://www.blazersedge.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Portland Trail Blazers</a>, their leading scorer went to the locker room with a sprained ankle.</p>
<p><span>Josh Smith</span> and <span>Joe Johnson</span> 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.</p>
<p>The Hawks rallied to take the lead behind strong play from <span>Zaza Pachulia</span>, who posted seven rebounds and dished a pair of assists in the frame. Pachulia was nearly traded to the <a href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Houston Rockets</a> for <span>Brad Miller</span> at the trade deadline.</p>
<p>Aldridge had eight points for the Trail Blazers, who shot 50-percent (8-for-16) in the frame.</p>
<p>The Blazers got <span>Marcus Camby</span> back for this one and welcomed <span>Gerald Wallace</span> 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 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/charlotte-bobcats" class="sbn-auto-link">Charlotte Bobcats</a> captain was acquired in a trade deadline deal on Thursday.</p>
<p>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.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-hawks/2011/2/27/2019646/trail-blazers-vs-hawks-atlanta-rally-for-19-18-lead-through-onePhil Foley2011-02-27T11:26:49-05:002011-02-27T11:26:49-05:00Trail Blazers Vs. Hawks: Wallace Debuts And Camby May Return For Portland Against Atlanta
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<p>There must be some drama, so cue up ESPN.</p>
<p><span>Gerald Wallace</span> looks to make his <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blazersedge.com/">Portland Trail Blazers</a> debut and <span>Marcus Camby</span> may return to the Blazers lineup for the first time since Jan. 17 just in time for a visit from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Atlanta Hawks</a> (10:30 p.m., ESPN, 97.9 FM) -- as if Portland wasn't hard enough to beat on a regular day.</p>
<p>Sensing an opportunity in the wild, wild Western Conference,the Trail Blazers did what few teams in the conference did at the trade deadline -- added pieces to the puzzle to improve their standing within the conference, shipping away former Hawk<span> Joel Przybilla</span>, <span>Sean Marks</span> and <span>Dante Cunningham</span> and a pair of first round picks for Wallace just before the clock struck 3:00 p.m. on Thursday.</p>
<p>The moves make for a very deep Blazers team. While Wallace is expected to come off of the bench in his Portland debut on Sunday, he will eventually become a vicious third option on a team that already boasts shoulda-been-Hawk <span>Brandon Roy</span> and <span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span>.</p>
<p>To make matters worse for Atlanta, red-hot Portland may also see the return of Camby, who missed a little over a month after tearing the meniscus in his left knee. He's just averaging a team-high 11.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.</p>
<p>Suffice to say that the Hawks will obviously have their hands full with an Blazers team that has won seven of its last eight games.</p>
<p>Atlanta hopes to build on its 95-79 demolition of the woeful <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State Warriors</a> on Friday night in Oakland. The Hawks dominated that one nearly from start to finish, established an inside presence for once and snapped a three-game losing streak.</p>
<p><span>Josh Smith</span> had 26 points and <span>Al Horford</span> added 22 for Atlanta in a game that marked the debut of guard <span>Kirk Hinrich</span> and center <span>Hilton Armstrong</span>.</p>
<p>Hinrich had eight points, while Armstrong did not score in one-plus minutes of action.</p>
<p>Expect to see more of Hinrich -- perhaps even a start -- when the Hawks take on the Blazers on Sunday.</p>
<p>Atlanta is 2-3 on its season-long seven-game road trip, which winds up on Monday in Denver.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2011/2/27/2330484/trail-blazers-vs-hawks-wallace-debuts-and-camby-may-return-forPhil Foley