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. babyliss pro curl . Manager Sabine Kehm said in an email Saturday that Schumachers condition remains critical but stable. He has been in a medically induced coma since Sunday, when he fell while skiing and struck his head on a rock. Kehm also sought to play down media speculation about Schumachers health and requested respect for the familys privacy. babyliss pro perfect curl . -- Atlanta Falcons receiver Roddy White will miss the first game of his nine-year career on Sunday. http://www.bab... . Krejci and Smith scored in the third period on Tuesday as the Bruins rallied for a 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames. "It was a really tough first two periods," said Smith, who is now tied with Krejci and Milan Lucic for the team lead with three game-winning goals each. [url=http://www.babylissuk.co.uk/big-hair-wx-64.html]babyliss Big Hair . -- Jimmy Butler was at the airport in Houston on his way to Chicago when he got the text message from Derrick Rose. babyliss uk . Chris Eversley scored 19 points to help Cal Poly avoid its 20th loss of the season and win its first NCAA tournament game, 81-69 victory over Texas Southern on Wednesday night in the First Four.LOS ANGELES -- As the celebration raged around them, Sandy Koufax sought out Clayton Kershaw in the hazy mist of the clubhouse for a hug. Koufax, whose blazing fastball dominated baseball in the mid-1960s, removed the protective goggles from his eyes and rested his arms on Kershaws broad shoulders. From the franchises old left-handed ace to its current young southpaw, a smiling Koufax looked Kershaw in the eyes and bestowed his congratulations. The Dodgers had advanced to their 10th National League championship series with a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night. "To get a hug and get a good job from a guy like that, from a guy thats been there, from a guy thats done this before and was the best at it for a long time is pretty special," Kershaw said. "He genuinely cares about not only this team but kind of our well-being. He cares about us. Thats awesome." The NL West champions open the next round Friday against St. Louis or Pittsburgh. The Cardinals host the wild-card Pirates in a winner-take-all Game 5 on Wednesday. "Weve moved one step closer," said Don Mattingly, managing in the playoffs for the first time. Juan Uribe hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning after Kershaw started on short rest for the Dodgers, who reached the NLCS for the first time since 2009. "It was a special night to get to do it here in L.A.," said Kershaw, his hair slick from the spray of beer and champagne. "We havent won anything yet, but it definitely feels good to get to celebrate. You never want to pass those moments up." Carl Crawford homered his first two times up and the Dodgers won the best-of-five playoff 3-1. "This does not get old. I love the champagne. I love the burning sensation in my eyes," centre fielder Skip Schumaker said. "A lot of these guys have never experienced the moving on to the next round and Im happy for them." Yasiel Puig doubled down the right-field line leading off the eighth against losing pitcher David Carpenter. The rookie charged into second base and pumped his right fist in the air. Fans were on their feet chanting "Lets go Dodgers!" when Uribe fouled off two bunt attempts. Then he sent a hanging 2-2 breaking ball into the Dodgers bullpen in left field to put them in front for the second time. Uribe knew it was gone as soon as he connected. He dropped his bat and threw both arms in the air at home plate. "This moment today Ill never forget," he said. "I think a lot of people feel like that." Meanwhile, it was the latest October flop for Atlanta, which hasnt won a post-season series since 2001. During that stretch, the Braves have lost seven straight playoff series and the 2012 NL wild-card game. "To end the way it did tonight, its going to hurt. Its going to be a long way back," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "But tip your hat to the Dodgers and congratulate Donnie and his staff. The sad thing is there are no more games, you know?" Brian Wilson pitched a scoreless eighth to get the victory. Kenley Jansen struck out all three batters in the ninth for a save, fanning Justin Upton to end it. That set off a raucous celebration on the field by the Dodgers, who rushed toward the mound in a mob. They tore jerseys off eachh other in unbridled excitement and doused Uribe with a bright-colored sports drink.dddddddddddd "This team has a lot of fun. We dont think about being the team to beat and all that stuff. We just go out there and play and try to have fun," Crawford said. Jansen and catcher A.J. Ellis leaped into each others arms, and a burst of fireworks lit the sky in centre field as blue and silver streamers cascaded from an upper level of the stadium. The Dodgers lined up exchanging hugs in the infield, and co-owners Mark Walter and Magic Johnson grinned watching the revelry among the team they purchased last year. Kershaw, Puig, Wilson and other players jogged around the warning track exchanging high-fives and hand slaps with delirious fans. "They were loud," Kershaw said. "They want it just as much as we do." The Dodgers were criticized for jumping into the ballpark pool in Arizona when they clinched the NL West crown last month. This time, they got to party at home. The Braves took a 3-2 lead in the seventh on pinch-hitter Jose Constanzas RBI single off reliever Ronald Belisario. Needing a win to avoid elimination, Gonzalez never got the ball to lights-out closer Craig Kimbrel. "You dont want it to ever end the way we ended today. But we had the right guy out there. Carp has been good for us," Gonzalez said. "There is nothing to be ashamed of." The Dodgers gambled in bringing back Kershaw on three days rest for the first time in his career. But with a chance to close out the series, they opted for their ace over scheduled starter Ricky Nolasco. The move paid off when the 2011 Cy Young Award winner tossed six solid innings before turning it over to the bullpen. "This is the post-season," Kershaw said. "You just go. Its a one-month sprint and Im looking forward to the next couple games." Kershaw wasted a 2-0 lead, giving up two unearned runs and three hits. He struck out six and walked one on 91 pitches. With one out in the seventh, Elliot Johnson tripled into the right-field corner, sending Puig sliding into the dirt chasing the ball as it caromed off the wall. Constanza, batting for starting pitcher Freddy Garcia, singled into centre to put the NL East champions ahead for the first time. Garcia allowed two runs and eight hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked two. The Braves tied it 2-all in the fourth. Crawfords second homer of the game came in the third, landing deep in the lower right-field seats for a 2-0 lead. Crawford led off the first with a towering home run to the right-field pavilion, smiling broadly as the Dodgers took a 1-0 lead. "The smile on his face when he hit that homer is priceless," Mattingly said. NOTES: The Dodgers lost in five games to Philadelphia four years ago in the NLCS. ... The last Dodgers pitcher to start on short rest in the playoffs was Derek Lowe, who allowed two runs and six hits in five innings of a no-decision in Game 4 of the NLCS on Oct. 13, 2008, against Philadelphia. ... Crawfords leadoff homer was the second in Dodgers post-season history. Davey Lopes homered leading off Game 6 of the 1978 World Series. Hes now the first base coach for the team. ... Kershaw allowed seven unearned runs during the regular season, all of them at Dodger Stadium. ' ' '