Hawks hand Spurs rare loss

? No one could have seen this coming.

The defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs had won 17 of 18 games. The lowly Atlanta Hawks were coming off three straight embarrassing defeats.

But the roles were reversed Tuesday night as Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 29 points, and the Hawks built a big lead over San Antonio and held on for a surprising 86-77 victory.

“It only takes one win to turn the season around,” said Stephen Jackson, who played perhaps his best game of the season against his former team. “This could be that win.”

There haven’t been many wins for the Hawks this season. They were coming off a 1-5 road trip that ended with a 16-point loss in Sacramento, a 46-point rout by the Los Angeles Lakers and a 21-point defeat to Utah.

“We just needed a win, whether it was the Spurs or a high school team,” Jackson said.

Coach Terry Stotts and his staff made the players sit through a lengthy film session the previous day.

“We watched film for an hour and a half and just looked at our mistakes,” Hawks center Theo Ratliff said. “We can look at it individually, but it’s different when you’re sitting there with the team and they point out what is definitely supposed to happen on plays.”

Clippers 103, Blazers 96, OT

Los Angeles — Eddie House hit a three-pointer from the left baseline with 3.8 seconds left to send the game to overtime, and Corey Maggette scored 32 points as Los Angeles beat Portland. Elton Brand had 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Clippers.

Kings 90, Heat 86

Sacramento, Calif. — Peja Stojakovic scored 14 of his 24 points in the first quarter, and Sacramento won its fifth straight at home.

Jazz 97, Warriors 80

Salt Lake City — Andrei Kirilenko had 10 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks to help Utah defeat Golden State.

Cavaliers 104, Sonics 96

Seattle — LeBron James scored nine of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, sparking a key burst that led Cleveland past Seattle. James scored six points during a 10-0 run midway through the fourth quarter.

Nuggets 105, Suns 92

Phoenix — Voshon Lenard scored 32 points, and Denver continued its best start in 18 years with a victory over Phoenix.

Pistons 105, Bulls 89

Chicago — Richard Hamilton scored 24 points, and Detroit went on a late 22-7 run to win its ninth straight game. Ben Wallace had 12 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons.

Bucks 111, Celtics 103

Milwaukee — Michael Redd scored 20 points, and Toni Kukoc had 16, leading Milwaukee to its sixth victory in seven games.

Rockets 93, Wizards 80

Washington — Yao Ming scored 14 of his 21 points in the third quarter, and Houston had a season-high 27 assists in a victory over Washington.

T’wolves 94, Hornets 89

New Orleans — Latrell Sprewell scored 26 points, including a pair of key free throws with 14.5 seconds left, to lead Minnesota past New Orleans.