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Hawks top Blazers as win streak reaches 18

Jan 31, 2015 - 4:36 AM Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Atlanta's All-Stars came through again.

Paul Millsap, Al Horford and Jeff Teague had plenty of help as the Hawks pushed their franchise-record winning streak to 18 games.

Millsap scored 21 points, Horford had 17 and Teague scored six of his 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Hawks held off LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trail Blazers for a 105-99 victory on Friday night.

Kyle Korver added 16 points and Kent Bazemore had 12 points in 40 minutes off the bench as the Hawks won without injured forward DeMarre Carroll, who sat with a left Achilles strain.

Thabo Sefolosha replaced him in the starting lineup but played just 2:21 before going out with a calf strain.

Millsap, Horford and Teague were all named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team on Thursday, the first time since 1980 that three Hawks made the game. Atlanta's Mike Budenholzer will coach the East in the Feb. 15 game at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The NBA-leading Hawks haven't lost since Dec. 26 in Milwaukee. And at 39-8, they surpassed last season's win total (38-44). They could secure a perfect 17-0 month with a win Saturday against Philadelphia, which will end a seven- game homestand.

Aldridge scored 37 points for Portland a day after he was named to the Western Conference All-Star team.

"An incredible individual performance," said Budenholzer. "We tried to make it difficult on him but he still scored 37."

Wesley Matthews added 16 points and Damian Lillard scored 13 with 11 assists for the Blazers, who have lost seven of their last nine games.

While Aldridge was named to his fourth consecutive All-Star Game, Lillard was left off the team after making it last year and despite being seen as worthy, he didn't take the snub lightly, saying in an Instagram post that he felt "disrespected" by not being selected.

Neither team led by more than six in the game. The Hawks took the lead for good on Horford's jumper midway through the fourth quarter. Later, Horford's rebound and Teague's long pass over the defense led to a dunk for Millsap at the other end to make it a six-point game with 1:30 remaining.

The Blazers were never closer than four after that.

"It was a very competitive game," said Portland coach Terry Stotts. "Both teams made runs but they made more plays at the end of the game than we did."

Earlier, Aldridge scored 21 points in a tight first half and the Blazers shot over 55 percent from the field, but led just 51-50 at the break.

Each team led by five in the third quarter as the game remained competitive. Portland built a 68-63 advantage at one point after a 15-5 run led by Aldridge and Lillard.

Game Notes

Hawks guard Shelvin Mack remains out with a left calf strain ... Atlanta has beaten the Blazers twice during the winning streak, also winning in Portland on Jan. 3 to snap a three-game losing streak in the series ... The Blazers will end a road trip Saturday in Milwaukee.