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Hawks hold off Blazers

Feb 28, 2011 - 6:51 AM Portland, OR (Sports Network) - Jamal Crawford had 23 points while Joe Johnson scored 22, as the Atlanta Hawks held on for a 90-83 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden.

Josh Smith had 14 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for the Hawks, who led by as many as 23 before the Blazers rallied in the fourth quarter. Portland was within six before Crawford drilled a three-pointer to help Atlanta claim a second straight win.

Andre Miller had 20 points to lead the Blazers, who were coming off back-to- back overtime games. They lost to the Lakers on Wednesday before beating Denver, 107-106, on Friday.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points while Gerald Wallace netted nine in his Portland debut. The Blazers acquired Wallace from Charlotte on Thursday.

Atlanta seemed to be in position to cruise to the victory after Marvin Williams' three-point play with 4:14 left in the third quarter. It gave the Hawks a 66-43 advantage, and Atlanta held a 68-49 lead heading into the fourth.

Portland started to chip away at its deficit early in the final quarter, but with 5:54 remaining, Atlanta's lead was still 20. Johnson drained a three- pointer to make it an 80-60 game.

But Miller followed with a layup to start a 16-2 run. Wallace contributed a three and a layup to the run, which Miller capped with another basket, bringing the Blazers within 82-76 with 2:01 to play.

At the other end, Crawford canned a three to stop the Blazers' momentum. While Miller followed with a layup, Portland scored just one more field goal -- Nicolas Batum's layup with 14.2 seconds to play.

That had the Blazers within 89-83, but with so little time left, Atlanta was able to hold on for the win.

The Hawks held a 19-18 edge after the first quarter, then used free throw shooting in the second quarter to expand their lead. They made 13-of-15 in the second period, in addition to making 7-of-12 field goals, and cruised into the break with a 48-36 advantage.

Atlanta limited the Blazers to three field goals in the third quarter.

Game Notes

Atlanta made 24-of-27 free throws overall...The Hawks held a 49-34 rebounding advantage, though turned the ball over 25 times, leading to 23 Blazers points...Atlanta improved to 3-3 on its seven-game road trip, which concludes Monday in Denver...Portland is 2-2 on five-game homestand, which ends Tuesday against Houston...The teams meet again on March 12.