Jeff Teague, Jamal Crawford propel the Atlanta Hawks to a 91-82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are proving to be the lucky charm for the Atlanta Hawks this season. Atlanta had gone 1-5 since winning 90-83 on 27th February at Portland and the game against them was exactly what they needed
to return to the winning ways. Jeff Teague equalled his career high with 24 points; Jamal Crawford chipped in with 20 as the Atlanta Hawks finally managed to carve their way out of a four-game tail-spin with a 91-82 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers
on Saturday night.
After an excellent start, the Hawks have blown hot and cold so far this season and with the likes of the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers breathing beneath their necks for the fifth place in the Eastern Conference; they
were desperate for an inspiration.
It came from the unlikeliest of the sources - the third year guard Jeff Teague. Teague who had his eighth start in his 127 career games on Saturday night scorched the Trail Blazers with an 11-of-17 shooting and also stung them
with five steals and three blocks.
The Trail Blazers were led by the mercurial LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge scored 22 points and seven assists while Wesley Mathews chipped in with 19 points. Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez also scored in the double-figures for the
Trail Blazers, but the real problem for them on the night was the ice-cold shooting, both from within and beyond the arc. Portland managed a meagre shooting rate of 35 percent from the court and only slipped in 7-of 22 from downtown. In comparison, the Hawks
soared with a 52 percent shooting from the field and also converted 43 percent shots from the three point line.
Although the Hawks managed to prevail by nine points, the situation was not too rosy at the start of the game. Playing on their home-court, the Hawks failed to come out of their barren shooting spell that saw the net only 26 points
in the second half of their last encounter against the Chicago Bulls. Atlanta just converted 13-of-36 shots in the first half. Teague proved to be the only bright spot in the first 24 minutes as the Hawks managed to remain within the striking distance at 35-38.
Teague was simply spectacular. The young reserve shot 4-of-5 in the first quarter and finished it with a ripper from the long range to make it 19-18 in the favour of the Hawks. He also scrambled 4 steals during that stretch.
The Trail Blazers however cashed in on the cold shooting of their opponents in the second quarter and rattled them with a 17-6 spurt to go into the break with a three point lead.
Although Wesley Mathews and Marcus Camby kept Portland ahead early in the third quarter, the Hawks looked like a new team coming into the second stanza. With 6:03 remaining in period, Jamal Crawford nailed a 3-pointer to start
a stretch that propelled the Hawks to a 62-54 lead by the end of the third frame.
The Trail Blazers tried to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter but every time they tried to nudge back, the Hawks always seemed prepared with a counter punch. Teague and Crawford continued to pile on the shots and the Hawks
eventually outscored Portland by 29-28 in the fourth, to pull away with the game.
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