Joe Johnson scores 24 as Atlanta Hawks use late surge to beat Portland Trail Blazers 92 – 89 – NBA Recap
The Atlanta Hawks have a very hardworking and dedicated team that has shown it can handle pressure and give a run for their money to any opposition. With victories over Eastern Conference giants the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls already under their belt
this young season, it isn’t any wonder that the team is high on confidence.
It was their gritty quality again on display as they beat the formidable Portland Trail Blazers 92 – 89 at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta. The Hawks and the Trail Blazers fought gallantly throughout the game but in the end a quick flurry of points at the
death handed the home team a victory.
Hawks star Joe Johnson was the best player on the floor tonight as he scored 24 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and handed out 5 assists. Josh Smith was also impressive with a double-double, 17 points and 11 rebounds.
LaMarcus Aldridge put on a double-double display with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Trail Blazers while Jamal Crawford, the former Hawks player, made waves coming off the bench for his 22 points.
Atlanta had actually looked the stronger side throughout the game. They started off well and held the upper hand in the first quarter. Eventually finishing it on top at 21 – 17.
The second quarter was a much more entertaining affair as both teams took it to each other and the points rained down. Portland scored 25 and the Hawks responded with 30 of their own. What it meant for the scorecard was that Atlanta were firmly in the lead
at halftime, 51 – 42.
Things didn’t change too much after the interval as the Hawks still seemed to keep a step ahead of the Trail Blazers. Instead of cutting down their deficit, Portland fell further behind as the home team outscored them for the third straight quarter. They
entered the final period with the gap now in double digits, 75 – 62.
The penultimate period had a few twists and turns in store for the audience. Perhaps the Hawks suffered from complacency because of their lead, but they were caught off guard by Portland at the start. The Trail Blazers launched into a 13 – 0 burst that decimated
Atlanta and levelled the scores at 75 – 75.
All of a sudden, Atlanta were in danger of losing a game they had dominated. With the score at 82 – 80 to the Hawks though, Atlanta pulled away with a 6 – 0 surge that eventually provided them enough room to see out the game at 92 – 89.
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