PORTLAND, Ore. - Damian Lillard huddled with his Portland Trail Blazers teammates when regulation play against the Atlanta Hawks ended Sunday night, searching for overtime motivation after a four-game losing streak.
"I just turned to the group and I told them that sometimes when you're struggling and having a hard time like we have, you get put in these types of situations where you've got to see how bad you want it," Lillard said. "You've got to dig out and do it as a group."
The Blazers proved they indeed wanted it in the end, snapping their skid with a 124-113 overtime victory as Lillard finished with 30 points.
Kent Bazemore made back-to-back 3-pointers to open the extra period his former team and help send the Blazers to their first home win this season.
Trae Young had 35 points and 10 assists for Atlanta, which has lost three straight games and six of its past seven.
It was a tight game throughout but was especially heated in the final moments of the fourth quarter as both teams wrestled for the win.
With a 103-102 edge, Blazers coach Terry Stotts challenged a foul call on Hassan Whiteside with 1:09 left. It was successful and C.J. McCollum's jumper extended the lead to 105-102 with 52.5 seconds left.
Kevin Huerter's 3-pointer for Atlanta tied it at 105 with 27.9 seconds to go. Lillard answered with a layup that gave Portland back the lead, but Huerter's layup tied it up again with 0.7 second on the clock, sending the game to overtime.
After Bazemore's 3-pointers, McCollum's 3 extended the lead to 118-111 to all but seal it. McCollum finished with 23 points, and Whiteside added 21 points and 11 rebounds.
"They started out every quarter on a run, and the same thing happened at the end," Young said. "They started out on a run, and it was too late then to catch back up."
The Blazers were coming off a 119-115 loss to the Brookln Nets on Friday, which marred Lillard's big night as he scored a personal-best and franchise-record 60 points.
Portland has been beset by injuries. Forward Zach Collins appeared in three games this season before surgery on his shoulder that will sideline him at least four months. Forward Rodney Hood left Friday's game with back spasms and was unavailable against the Hawks.
But the Blazers got back Skal Labissiere, who sprained his ankle in the fourth quarter against the Nets. And Whiteside, who was day to day with a right foot sprain, started.
"We needed it," Stotts said about the victory. "No matter how we got it, we got it."
The Hawks were coming off to a 121-109 home loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. Atlanta is also dealing with injuries: Evan Turner, a former Blazer, missed his sixth game with an Achilles' injury, while Allen Crabbe remained out after knee surgery last April - he was upgraded to questionable before the game and dressed but did not play.
Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce started Huerter instead of Cam Reddish, who had started the Hawks' previous eight games.
"The home team came up big in the fourth quarter, so credit to them, but I thought our guys played their tails off tonight," Pierce said.
Whiteside's dunk put the Blazers up 18-10 early, but by the end of the first period the Hawks closed the gap and went ahead 21-20 on Young's basket.
Portland reclaimed the lead, going up 40-33 on Gary Trent Jr.'s jumper, but Atlanta closed to within 46-44 at the half.
Anthony Tolliver's layup for Portland tied the game at 73 late in the third period. Anfernee Simons, who had 12 points in the third quarter alone, pulled Portland in front 78-75 with a driving layup and free throw in the fourth.
Lillard's step-back 3-pointer and layup gave Portland an 85-82 advantage, but Parker's jumper narrowed the gap for the Hawks.
Parker finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds for Atlanta.