Hawks Finally Get Their First Victory

The Atlanta Hawks finally got their first victory.

Led by Al Harrington’s 34 points, Zaza Pachulia’s strong work inside and the second-half defense of Josh Childress on Ricky Davis, the Hawks became the last NBA team to win a game, outlasting the Boston Celtics, 120-117, Wednesday night at Atlanta.

The Hawks had lost their first nine games, the longest winless start in franchise history.

But before they could relish the win, the Hawks couldn’t help but cast an eye to a much longer streak without winning consecutive games.

While finishing last in the league with 13 wins last season, the Hawks did not win consecutive games. They play at Indiana on Friday night.

“That’s my biggest goal now, two in a row,” Childress said. “Last year I said if we won two in a row I was cutting my hair. I’m not saying that now.”

The Hawks’ nine straight losses came against Western Conference opponents.

Miami 100, Portland 79 -- Dwyane Wade scored 19 points at Miami and tied his personal high with 11 rebounds.

Jason Williams scored 16 points, and James Posey and Antoine Walker each had 12 for Miami, which has won six straight at home and five of six overall. Coming off a loss at previously winless Toronto on Sunday, the Heat improved to 5-3 without injured center Shaquille O’Neal.

New Orleans 84, Minnesota 80 -- Chris Paul scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half to rally the Hornets from a 12-point halftime deficit for a win at Oklahoma City. The crowd of 19,163 was the Hornets’ third sellout in six games at Oklahoma City’s Ford Center.

Milwaukee 108, Philadelphia 97 -- Allen Iverson scored an NBA season-high 45 points, but Michael Redd had 32 for the Bucks at Milwaukee.

Iverson, who was 13 of 30 from the field and 17 of 19 from the line, surpassed the 43 points Kobe Bryant had for the Lakers against Chicago on Sunday.

Phoenix 100, Houston 88 -- Shawn Marion and James Jones each scored 19 points, and the Suns found their three-point shooting touch at Houston.

After making only eight of 42 from three-point range the previous two games, Phoenix shot 14 of 27 from beyond the arc Wednesday.

The Rockets, who have lost five in a row, played without Tracy McGrady, who sat out his third straight game and sixth overall with back problems. He’s day to day. Houston is 0-6 in games without McGrady, 3-3 with him.

Sacramento 114, New Jersey 105 -- Mike Bibby scored 25 points and Bonzi Wells had 23 points at Sacramento. After shooting 55% in the first half, New Jersey went cold in the third period, when the Kings used a 19-4 run to take control.

Detroit 114, Denver 89 -- Richard Hamilton scored 19 points and Chauncey Billups had 16 points and 11 assists at Auburn Hills, Mich., as the Pistons ended the Nuggets’ four-game winning streak. Detroit had seven players score in double figures and had a season-high 35 assists.

San Antonio 113, Golden State 89 -- Tim Duncan had his NBA-leading 10th double-double by halftime on the way to 19 points and 12 rebounds at Oakland. Tony Parker had 26 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Spurs, who won for the eighth time in nine games.

Charlotte 108, New York 95 -- Gerald Wallace returned from a wrist injury to score 24 points and grab nine rebounds to lead the Bobcats at Charlotte, N.C. Kareem Rush added 22 points and Emeka Okafor had 19 points for the Bobcats, who won for only the second time in nine games.

Orlando 91, Washington 83 -- Hedo Turkoglu had a season-high 23 points and seven rebounds for the Magic at Orlando, Fla. The Wizards lost their fifth straight after a 5-1 start.