The Hawks are still undefeated in overtimes this season.
It wasn’t easy.
The Hawks erased a seven-point deficit in the extra period en route to a 109-104 win over the Trail Blazers in a nationally televised game Monday night at Moda Center.
The Trail Blazers scored the first seven points of overtime. The Hawks answered with eight straight to take a 105-104 lead with 40.3 seconds remaining. After getting several chances on offensive rebounds, Damian Lillard fell on a drive to the basket and Taurean Prince gathered the rebound with 6.4 seconds left. Paul Millsap hit a pair of free throws with 5.4 seconds left and Prince got a steal and hit a pair of free throws with 2.2 seconds left.
The Hawks are now 4-0 in overtime games this season as they scored the final 12 points of the game.
The Hawks trailed by five points, 90-85, with 3:19 remaining. Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a 3-pointer to narrow the gap to two points. The Hawks had a chance at a four-point play as Kent Bazemore was fouled on the play but he failed to make the free throw. Hardaway also hit a 3-pointer, off an offensive rebound, to pull the Hawks within 95-94 with 1:40 remaining.
Maurice Harkless tipped in an Ed Davis missed free throw to give the Trail Blazers a 97-94 lead with 34.6 seconds remaining. Dwight Howard was fouled on an alley-oop attempt with 28.6 seconds left and made one free throw for a two-point game.
McCollum used most of the 24-second clock before missing. The Hawks got the rebound and had a final attempt with 2.2 seconds left. Millsap drove off an inbounds played and scored at the buzzer to force overtime at 97-97.
The Hawks (32-23) have won five straight over the Trail Blazers, including three games in Portland. Hardaway finished with 25 points for the Hawks. Dennis Schroder had 22 points, Millsap had 21 points and Dwight Howard had 19 and 16 rebounds.
McCollum finished with 26 points for the Trail Blazers, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Damian Lillard added 21 points.
The Trail Blazers took a 48-42 lead into halftime. They took control of the early going with a 16-0 run between the first and second quarters to lead by as many as 13 points, 34-21. The Hawks answered with a 16-5 run to close within two points.
The Hawks shot just 33 percent from the field and were 3 of 16 from 3-point range in the first half. The Trail Blazers shot only 32 percent from the field but were 8 of 23 from long range.
The Hawks erased the deficit with a strong third quarter. They scored 33 points and took their first lead since the opening quarter. They held a 75-74 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was wary of the Trail Blazers’ backcourt duo of Lillard and McCollum.
“Lillard and McCollum, they are just so freakin’ good,” Budenholzer said before the game. “They take so many shots. So can you make it difficult on them? Can you make all their baskets tough? In a perfect world, you get the ball out of their hands some. But it’s easier said then done.”
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