. They scored on the power play (Simmonds first-period goal), they ke

ATLANTA -- Portland coach Terry Stotts and his staff were having an informal meeting in the hallway outside their locker room when LaMarcus Aldridge returned from a postgame TV interview. The assistants greeted Aldridge with compliments and high fives. Stotts had only one word for his high-scoring forward: "Thanks." Aldridge had 25 points and 16 rebounds in his return after missing seven games with a lower back contusion, and the Trail Blazers beat the Atlanta Hawks 100-85 on Thursday night to end a three-game losing streak. "It felt good to be back," Aldridge said. "I didnt feel 100 per cent but I did what I could do and luckily I made shots." Damian Lillard added 21 points for the Trail Blazers, who had lost seven of 10 and were in danger of falling out of the fifth spot in the Western Conference playoff standings. Lillard said Aldridge, who posted his team-leading 37th double-double of the season, made the difference. "Were a whole different team with him," Lillard said. "Hes our best player. He brings balance to our team. We had an inside presence and we were able to play inside-out, like we have all year. I just think with him out there we just got more quality shots. "Having him back allows everybody to fall into place. The game just comes easier for everybody." Aldridge said the win was "very important, just for our mental psyche, our confidence ... the standings." The Hawks have lost five straight. They lead the Knicks by only 1 1/2 games in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Jeff Teague, who was scoreless in Wednesday nights loss at Minnesota, led the Hawks with 22 points. Lou Williams had 16 points, including 13 in the final period when Atlanta closed the deficit to six points. Atlantas Kyle Korver missed his fifth straight game because of back spasms and centre Pero Antic sat out after he twisted his right ankle at Minnesota. The Trail Blazers led 53-37 at halftime. The Hawks narrowly avoided their season low for points in the opening half. Atlanta opened the second half with a 15-5 run, capped by DeMarre Carrolls 3-pointer, to trim the lead to 58-52. Williams had eight points in Atlantas 10-0 run that again cut Portlands lead to six points at 80-74. A three-point play by Aldridge pushed the lead back to double digits at 87-76. Korver, the 3-point specialist, has not played since March 18, when Atlanta beat Toronto for its fifth straight win. The Hawks have not won since losing Korver. Its only the latest in a string of ugly losing streaks for Atlanta the last two months. Atlanta has lost 19 of 25 and had streaks of eight and six straight losses in that span before the latest slump. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said "there were stretches where we really competed" against the Trail Blazers. "We cut some leads and got it to six at one point," Budenholzer said. "The whole group, in trying times and trying circumstances, has given a lot. Jeff Teagues energy throughout the game allowed us to be close. Were finding ourselves. We need to be disciplined and focused. In those stretches where were not, it can hurt us and it can bite us." Portland closed each of the first three periods with 3-pointers -- by Mo Williams, Wesley Matthews and Lillard. Officials needed a review to confirm there was time remaining in the first half when Matthews launched his long 3. Nicolas Batum had 12 points for Portland and Robin Lopez and Matthews each had 11. Mo Williams had 11 assists and eight points. NOTES: The Trail Blazers, who beat Atlanta 102-78 in Portland on March 5, won their first season series over the Hawks since the 2007-08 season. ... Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson attended the game. ... Elton Brand had 11 points and 12 rebounds as the fill-in starter for Antic... The Hawks season low for first-half points was 34 against San Antonio on Jan. 24. ... The Hawks are 10-20 against the Western Conference. Adidas Nmd Wholesale China .com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown. Adidas Lite Racer Trainers Ladies . Dragic was a game-time decision because of a sore right ankle that had kept him out of Wednesdays loss at Utah, but played all but the last 10 seconds of the second half in the first 40-point game for a Phoenix player since Amare Stoudemires 44 on March 19, 2010. http://www.nmdukonlinestore.com/ultra-boost-trainers-outlet-deals.html . However, Therrien added that Galchenyuks status for next Wednesdays game against the Detroit Red Wings is questionable. Galchenyuk has been out since Jan. 6 with a broken right hand. Latest Nmd Trainers .com) - The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to get back on track Monday night when they welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to Chesapeake Energy Arena. Adidas NMD R2 Outlet . Louis Blues, having added Ryan Miller and Steve Ott from Buffalo, remain the No. PHILADELPHIA -- Claude Giroux is excited about the way the Philadelphia Flyers are playing. Wayne Simmonds had two goals and an assist to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Monday night, extending their home win streak to nine games. "We got the four lines rolling. Everybodys playing great," Giroux said. "I think when you have a team effort like tonight, its a really good feeling. We can take it in for a couple days for Christmas here, and be ready to go on the road." The Flyers brought their record back above .500 (17-16-4). Luke Schenn scored first for the Flyers, on the teams first shot of the night, giving them a lead they never lost. Scott Hartnells assist on that goal was the veteran Flyers 500th career point. "It was a big win, more importantly," Hartnell said. "Its kind of cool to hit a century mark, but we wanted to end into this Christmas break with a big win. Everybodys got a lot of smiles on our faces. That was an amazing effort and a big win. Its huge." Giroux had a goal and an assist, extending his scoring streak to eight games, a new high for the Flyers captain. While the Flyers will be using their three-day break to celebrate, the Wild will have plenty of time to consider whats gone wrong for them in recent days. Mondays loss was their third in a row, a stretch of games during which theyve scored only four goals and sank to fourth place in the Central Division. "Its a good time for the break," Kyle Brodziak said. "We need a few days to really find what we need to do, and what every guy in the room really needs to do, however we need to do it, to break out of whatever funk we are in right now." With the loss, the Wild are 1-7-1 in their last nine games on the road. They fell to 2-7-0 lifetime at the Wells Fargo Center. Theyve lost six of their last 10 games. Mikael Grandlund scored the Wilds lone marker in the first period, a power-play goal duriing a 1:40 two-man advantage that cut the Flyers lead to 2-1.dddddddddddd But after that goal, scored late in the first period, the Wilds offence all but disappeared. The Wild travelled to Philadelphia after falling to the New York Rangers 4-1 Sunday. Back-to-back games can be difficult, and goaltender Niklas Backstrom started both. He, along with many teammates, seemed tired. Wild head coach Mike Yeo wasnt about to use fatigue as an excuse. "Im not going to paint a rosy picture and Im not going to make any excuses," Yeo said. "Flat out, we need to be better. Its every one of us. It starts with me. We have to be better. What I mean is, this is not us. Plain and simple, this is not us." Across the ice, however, the Flyers felt as if Mondays effort was perfectly representative of their team identity. They scored on the power play (Simmonds first-period goal), they kept their defence tight and they played hard right up until the final horn sounded. They feel theyve managed to turn around a dire start to their season. "No one wants to let anyone down in here -- turning the puck over, making soft plays," Hartnell said. "When youre accountable to your teammates, the guy next to you in the dressing room, you play hard, you play smarter. Weve got to eliminate some simple penalties that weve been taking lately, but its been a lot of fun here at home. Weve got to take this show on the road here." Both teams will return from the days off with games in Canada -- the Wild in Winnipeg, the Flyers in Edmonton. But only the Flyers will be riding the momentum of a complete-game victory. "We definitely needed that," Simmonds said. "You guys asked if we were worried, I said no. We know what were capable of." NOTES: Zach Parise missed the game with a lower-body injury. . Jakub Voracek extended his career-high point streak to eight games. . Scott Hartnell is the 50th active player to register 500 points. ' ' '