Two of NBA's best tangle when Hawks meet Blazers

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Portland Trail Blazers will go for five consecutive victories Saturday night when they welcome the Atlanta Hawks to the Moda Center.

The Blazers have won nine of their last 10 and own the second-best record in the NBA. Portland owns seven straight home wins and Saturday's tilt is game four of a seven-game homestand. The Blazers bested the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks before a showdown with the Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors.

The Trail Blazers reached 3-0 in overtime this season thanks to a 102-97 win on Tuesday over the Raptors.

Damian Lillard posted 26 points and nine assists to lead the Blazers. LaMarcus Aldridge added 23 points and 13 boards and Wesley Matthews scored 19 for Portland, which improved to 15-1 against the Eastern Conference.

After Terrence Ross opened the extra session with a 3-pointer, Lillard, Matthews and Nicolas Batum hit from deep at the other end on consecutive possessions.

Patrick Patterson and Kyle Lowry countered with layups to make it 96-94, but a clear path foul on Toronto -- moments after a controversial no-call against Portland -- was the difference.

First, Matthews got caught in the air and threw the ball up for grabs. Ross picked it off and was fouled by Lillard. The referees convened at the monitors to determine whether or not it was a clear-path foul on Lillard but ultimately ruled it a common foul.

After Lowry missed a jumper with 27 seconds left, Greivis Vasquez committed a clear-path foul on Batum. He split two free throws, then Lillard made two to make it 99-94.

Joel Freeland's dunk following a press break in the final seconds sealed it.

"It was a good win to end the year on," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "I was very pleased with the way we kept competing."

Portland will host the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Orlando Magic during this residency.

The Hawks have won three straight, and, when the Toronto Raptors lost to the Golden State Warriors on Friday, coupled with Atlanta' s victory over the Utah Jazz, the Hawks assumed the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks are a half-game ahead of the Raptors, who are idle on Saturday. Atlanta has won five straight on the road and will visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday to close the trip.

The Hawks defeated the Jazz, 98-92, on Friday.

Jeff Teague finished with a game-high 26 points and eight assists. Paul Millsap had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Al Horford and DeMarre Carroll chipped in 13 and 10 points, respectively, for the Hawks, who have won 17 of their last 19 games.

"I feel like we did a good job of pushing the ball once we got stops. We didn't want to settle," said Horford. "We tried to speed the game up a little bit and it worked to our advantage tonight."

The Blazers won three straight and four of five against the Hawks, who have won three of five as the visitor in this series.