Onyeka Okongwu's sharpshooting anchored a dominant Hawks performance, propelling them to a resounding victory and .500 status.
Onyeka Okongwu made Portland pay all night from beyond the arc, and the Atlanta Hawks kept rolling.
Okongwu scored 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting from 3-point range, Jonathan Kuminga added 20 off the bench, and Atlanta cruised past the Portland Trail Blazers 135-101 Sunday night at State Farm Arena.
The Hawks, who set a season high with 44 first-quarter points, have won four straight and reached .500 at 31-31 for the first time since Dec. 23. Atlanta moved into ninth place in the Eastern Conference and has outscored opponents by an average of 26.5 points during the winning streak.
CJ McCollum added 19 points for Atlanta, which shot 55% from the field, outrebounded Portland 54-38, and finished with 36 assists.
Jrue Holiday scored 23 points for the Blazers. Donovan Clingan posted 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Okongwu set the tone early. With Portland leaving him unguarded on the perimeter, he scored eight of Atlanta's first 10 points on a layup and a pair of 3-pointers. He made four more 3s before halftime and had 20 by the break.
"Before the game, they were jokingly saying shoot 20 threes tonight," Okongwu said. "But everyone was telling me to shoot if they're going to play me like that. Tonight, they paid for it."
Dyson Daniels said there was no hesitation in looking for him.
"I don't know why they leave him open, but 12 is not enough," Daniels said. "When he's hot and knocking them down as he did, you find him. Even if he's not, we trust O to take those shots. We want him to take those shots. It helps our team."
Okongwu also finished with 10 rebounds and six assists.
Kuminga, in his third game since arriving from Golden State in a trade, continued his strong start with Atlanta. He is averaging 21.3 points and 7.7 rebounds through three games after rarely playing for the Warriors. He closed the night with a windmill dunk on a fourth-quarter breakaway that brought the crowd to its feet.
Atlanta built its lead quickly. The Hawks shot 65% in the first quarter and held a 44-25 advantage after one period. The lead never dropped below 15 the rest of the way.
The game also featured the return of former Hawk Vit Krejci, traded to Portland in February. Daniels welcomed him back with a hard dunk over him in the second half.
"Vit's my guy," Daniels said. "He knows better than to jump. It's good seeing him. He was here for three or four years and was a really good player for us. Glad he's getting the opportunity to show himself in Portland."
Portland played without leading scorer Deni Avdija, who missed his fourth straight game with a lower back injury.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder credited the group's willingness to play for each other as the engine behind the recent stretch.
"They're making plays for each other and playing to their strengths," Snyder said. "The thing that allows teams to gel is throwing themselves into the team and not worrying about the stuff that doesn't show up. I think those guys have begun to really embrace that, and that makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts."
Atlanta visits Milwaukee on Wednesday before returning home for a five-game homestand.READ MORE