The Atlanta Hawks wasted no time taking control Sunday night, erupting for a season-best first quarter on their way to a 135-101 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Onyeka Okongwu led the charge with 25 points, while CJ McCollum added 19. Jonathan Kuminga continued his strong start in Atlanta with 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench, helping the Hawks (31-31) climb back to .500 for the first time since Dec. 23.
Atlanta has now won four straight games — each by an average of 26.5 points — and moved into ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
The tone was set early. The Hawks poured in a season-high 44 points in the opening quarter, shooting 65% from the field and knocking down 13 of 15 free throws. They built a 44-25 lead after one and never allowed the margin to dip below 15 the rest of the night.
Atlanta finished shooting 55% from the floor, dominated the glass 54-38 and dished out 36 assists compared to Portland’s 23.
Kuminga, playing his third game since being acquired from the Golden State Warriors, has thrived in his expanded role. After seeing limited minutes with Golden State, he’s averaging 21.3 points and 7.7 rebounds with the Hawks. He punctuated the blowout with a soaring windmill dunk on a breakaway late in the fourth quarter, bringing the home crowd to its feet.
Portland, which has dropped two straight, was led by Jrue Holiday’s 23 points. Donovan Clingan added 15 points, 15 rebounds and a team-high five assists.
The Trail Blazers were without leading scorer and first-time All-Star Deni Avdija, who missed his fourth consecutive game while managing a lower back injury.
Up next: Portland visits the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, while Atlanta heads to face the Milwaukee Bucks.
