PORTLAND — The Portland Trail Blazers almost did it again.
After trailing by as much as 20 points, even they had a feeling they were going to pull out their third double-digit comeback in five games.
But the Atlanta Hawks proved they are birds of a different feather, keeping Blazers at arm’s length in dominant 115-107 win Saturday.
Damian Lillard’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third gave the Blazers hope when they cut the lead to eight.
“I thought things were definitely going to change for us,” LaMarcus Aldridge said about his feelings after the shot by Lillard. “With just who we are, I thought we had to get over that hump. But they played defense the whole game and they made shots down the stretch.”
Paul Millsap was the catalyst for the Hawks finishing with 27 points and six rebounds to lead Atlanta.
Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague scored 22 points including a couple of big baskets in the final 90 seconds when Portland was threatening to come back.
Aldridge finished with a game-high 30 points and 12 rebounds but it wasn’t enough to overcome Portland’s 18 turnovers which led to 23 points for the Hawks.
Making matters worse, the Blazers, who are already without starting center Robin Lopez, suffered another injury in their front court. Back-up center Joel Freeland, who had been put into the starting role in Lopez’s absence, left the game with 9:09 left in the game with a shoulder injury and did not return.
The team said after the game that Freeland will be out two weeks with a right shoulder strain.
The Blazers jumped out to an 8-0 lead but immediately after Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer called timeout, Atlanta brought the game to the Blazers.
The Blazers had seven turnovers in the first quarter and 13 for the game. Atlanta worked hard to get themselves back in the game, but the Blazers gave them plenty of opportunities.
“Turnovers killed us in the first half,” Blazers head coach Terry Stotts said. “They got their hands on a lot of balls. I think they scored on 10 straight possessions.”
The Hawks bench also outplayed the Blazers which gave them a nine point lead after the opening quarter. The Blazers turnover problem got worse when the second unit played with Steve Blake and Chris Kaman committing three turnovers a piece in the first half.
The Blazers closed the first half on a 8-2 run but the Hawks remained in control.
The Hawks continued to turn the Blazers over which led to easy baskets. But Portland’s interior defense was porous all night long whether in pick and roll or against post-ups. Whether it was straight line drives or cuts to the basket, the Hawks got anything they wanted around the basket.
According to NBA.com, they took 35 shots inside the restricted area through three quarters. The Pelicans average the most shots in that area in the league at 34.7 per game. They finished with a ridiculous 43 shots inside the restricted area.
Sparked by their stars Aldridge and Lillard, the Blazers charged to cut the Hawks lead that had risen as high as 20 to eight heading into the final period.
Lillard was quiet in the first half, scoring only two points but saved his best for the end of the third quarter.
Unlike the Raptors who couldn’t buy a bucket in the fourth quarter Tuesday, the Hawks just kept going to the well with everybody getting in on the act.
But the Blazers wouldn’t go away. Trailing by 15 with 3:26 left in the game they made a furious comeback which cut the Hawks lead to only five with under two minutes left.
“We took opportunities away from ourselves,” Lillard said. “The bottom line is that they outplayed us on the offensive and defensive ends. We gave ourselves a chance at the end but it was too much of a hole that we dug ourselves.”
