attendance with an average of 23,462 per game. "

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. Cheap Nike Air Max Outlet . - Pierre-Maxime Poudrier scored twice and added an assist, and Antoine Bibeau made 43 saves as the Val-dOr Foreur downed the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 6-3 on Sunday to force Game 7 in their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League final series. Cheap Wholesale Air Max Shoes . -- Creighton apparently has Villanovas number. http://www.cheapairmaxforsale.us/ . The Canadian defensive tackle suffered the injury on Monday and had tests done on Tuesday. He was a potential starter on the defensive line but head coach Mike OShea said he wasnt even thinking about the ratio when he got the news. Nike Air Max Cheap Sale . PETERSBURG, Fla. Nike Air Max Cheap Wholesale .9 million deal Thursday. The 25-year McGinn had 19 goals and 19 assists in 79 games last season in helping the Avalanche tie a franchise record with 52 wins. OAKLAND, Calif. -- Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff said Wednesday the club has reached a 10-year lease agreement with the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority to stay at the Oakland Coliseum. The deal that would run through 2025 is subject to approval by the Coliseum Joint Powers Authority, which is scheduled to vote on the extension Friday. The City of Oakland and Alameda County Board of Supervisors also would have to approve the deal. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig commended both sides for reaching a deal on a lease extension, while offering, "I continue to believe that the Athletics need a new facility and am fully supportive of the clubs view that the best site in Oakland is the Coliseum site." "We very much appreciate Commissioner Seligs support for Oakland to be the home of the As," coliseum authority Chairman Nate Miley added in a statement. "We also agree, and we believe the As do as well, that long-term the Coliseum is the best site for them in the East Bay." Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said Wednesday that the city is working to make sure the team remains in Oakland for years to come. "We are still negotiating, so were surprised by the announcement of an agreement," Quan said. "We plan to meet tomorrow, continue negotiations, and hope there will be an agreement soon." The two-time defending AL West champion Athletics are still hoping for a new stadium, but Wolff said a proposed site near Oaklands popular Jack London Square neighbourhood has proved not to be a feasible option. "Howard Terminal as a potential ballpark site has been and is totally rejected by MLB and the As," Wolff said in an email to The Associated Prress.dddddddddddd Selig reiterated that in a statement Wednesday. He has long supported Wolffs efforts to build a stadium, but hasnt ruled whether the As can move into the San Francisco Giants territory in technology-rich Silicon Valley and San Jose. "Contrary to what some have suggested, the committee that has studied this issue did not determine that the Howard Terminal site was the best location for a new facility in Oakland," Selig said. The rundown Coliseum has had multiple sewage problems in the past year and an outage affecting the outfield lights against the New York Yankees on June 14. Despite the As recent on-field success, they are currently 24th in the majors in attendance with an average of 23,462 per game. "Its not something I think much about, to be honest," Oakland first baseman Brandon Moss said in New York, where the As were set to play the Mets. "Obviously, everyone knows that its well-documented, the history of the Coliseum and the things that theyve dealt with in the past few years. But honestly, as players who play in it every single night, we dont come in and say, God, we wish we had a new stadium! Obviously we do, but at the same time we understand that thats our home and thats where we play and its our job to go out and perform regardless of where we are." The Coliseum is the only stadium in the United States still used as the home for an NFL and MLB team. The Raiders are in the final year of their lease at the Coliseum and are interested in building a new stadium at the site. While the As deal is expected to contain "out clauses" for both sides, it could complicate the Raiders desire for a new stadium. ' ' '