Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 30 points and Jason Terry added 24 as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 101-92 Tuesday night to end a two-game losing slide.
The Hawks shot 50 percent (37-of-74) from the field, the first time in 19 games they made at least half of their shots. They had 26 assists, one off their season high, and made several crisp passes in the paint that led to easy baskets.
``That's the way the game should be played,'' said Atlanta guard Emanuel Davis. ``When you play it right, it's a beautiful thing.''
Like most of his teammates, Abdur-Rahim had struggled recently, making just 35 percent of his shots in the previous four games. A few one-on-one sessions with coach Lon Kruger helped him break out of the slump.
``I don't think I'm a guy who takes bad shots, but I have been working a little with coach on my shooting,'' Abdur-Rahim said. ``More than anything, we've been talking about my shot and what I'm doing. I just wanted to make sure I'm shooting like I should.''
Bonzi Wells scored 26 for the Trail Blazers, who had won two straight games. Wells, though, missed five open layups.
``We didn't execute the way we wanted to down the stretch. They did,'' Wells said. ``We got caught in a few bad rotations and they hit big shots.''
Portland rallied from a 10-point deficit to take an 85-84 lead midway through the fourth quarter, with Wells scoring seven points during the run. It was the Trail Blazers' first lead since early in the second half.
``I thought the momentum had switched in our favor,'' Dale Davis said. ``We made a pretty good run.''
But Cal Bowdler started a 12-4 Atlanta spurt with two free throws, and Davis added a three-point play. He made a 22-foot jumper and was fouled hard by Rasheed Wallace.
``I didn't see it go in, but I felt it go in,'' said Davis, who was knocked to floor.
Seconds later, Portland coach Maurice Cheeks was called for a technical foul, and after Terry made the free throw, Abdur-Rahim made two more for a 92-85 lead.
Atlanta cruised from there.
``They did take the lead, but we fought right back,'' Kruger said. ``It's a good sign that we didn't lose our composure.''
The Hawks broke away after a competitive first half that featured eight ties and 10 lead changes by shooting 67 percent in the third quarter. Abdur-Rahim made his first five shots of the period, and Dion Glover made all four of his.
The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, turned the ball over nine times in the quarter to fall behind by eight points.
``They ground it out a little bit more than us,'' Cheeks said. ``We didn't have any life. They had a lot more energy than we had.''
Notes: Atlanta had just one turnover in the first period. ... The last time the Hawks shot at least 50 percent was Nov. 23, against Detroit. ... Abdur-Rahim was one rebound short of his sixth double-double in the past seven games. ... Wallace picked up his 11th technical of the season. He owns the record for most in a season, 41.
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