Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Take a deep breath. A season-long three-game losing streak came to an end – but not without a fourth-quarter rally. The Hawks used a 22-2 run in the final period to score a 95-83 victory over the Magic Wednesday night at Amway Center. The Hawks held the Magic to 12 fourth-quarter and 31 second-half points for the needed victory. “It was simple,” Paul Millsap said of the final quarter. “We got back to being us - getting stops.” The Hawks (54-17, 24-12 road) are three wins away from tying the franchise record for victories in a season. They also reduced their magic number to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference to two with 11 games remaining in the regular season.

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: Figuratively, at least, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich laid out the road map ahead before tipoff Wednesday. What happens with the rest of the Spurs’ season, he said, will come down to a simple matter of geography. “They have to decide whether they want to be the team they were in New York,” Popovich said, “or the team they were in Atlanta.” In Wednesday’s 130-91 destruction of the snakebit Oklahoma City Thunder at the AT&T Center, the Spurs proved this much: They’ve still got Georgia on their mind. In a performance that reminded more of the their eye-opening, 19-point road win over the Eastern Conference-leading Hawks on Sunday — as opposed to the egg they laid against the hapless Knicks earlier this month — the Spurs sent the Thunder to a 21-point halftime deficit and never let them up for air.

Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal: Of all the storylines the last few days, the most peculiar was how big of a deal people made of the now-famous “Clique up!!” picture James posted to his Instagram account in recent days. So we Cavs beat writers had a little fun with that one tonight (above). It was Chris Haynes’ idea and I was apprehensive to do it,but it was all in good fun. 13. The original, however, drew plenty of eye rolls around the team when people made a big deal about it. As for Love’s absence in the photo, he is routinely one of the last people out of the locker room. He is usually still in his jersey soaking his feet in an ice bucket while all of the others are showered and dressing. The picture was taken on the road, but following home games he also has an elaborate postgame routine that typically leaves him as the last player to leave the locker room. So it’s not really a surprise he wasn’t in the picture. But as one player pointed out, neither were James Jones and Mike Miller – two of James’ closest friends on the team. 14. With all of that as the preamble, I do think there are minor personality issues between Love and James. I wrote about it at length a few months ago and I won’t rehash it now. But Kobe and Shaq couldn’t stand each other and won three titles together. If the Big Three continue to play this way – all three scoring 20-plus points, Love and LeBron combining for 18 rebounds – they’ll work it out.

Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald: As for Dwyane Wade, he said he isn’t sure if he will be able to play Friday in Atlanta, the final game of a four-game road trip. “I won’t know [until later in the week],” he said. Though Wade has now missed 19 of the Heat’s 71 games this season, this marked only the second game that Wade sat out with a knee injury, with both coming against Boston. Wade has missed 16 games with hamstring issues and one with a hip injury. Wade said he believes the injury happened during the second half of Tuesday’s game. “I took a fall and bumped it on the ground,” he said. “It’s a bruise. It swelled up pretty well on the flight and [Wednesday] morning. I went up for a shot and undercut it and came down bad.” Wade said he and trainers and coaches “don’t think it’s smart for me to play on it. … I felt it as the game [went on]. I’ll get a lot of treatment.”

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: Dwight Howard was back on the court Wednesday, playing for the first time since Jan. 23 and the decision days later to shelve him, rehabilitate his knee, and bring him back in time for a late-season push to the playoffs. To the Rockets, the night marked the next step in his rehab rather than its end. But to Howard, those 16½ minutes were joyous, evidence that all those weeks of pushing himself through those grueling workouts would be rewarded. “My whole point was to do whatever I can to help this team win and play as hard as I can for as long as I can,” Howard said. “It just felt good being back out on the floor.” During the game, however, his body language screamed much more. Howard – who had four points and seven rebounds in the Rockets’ 95-93 win over the Pelicans – looked so spry before the game that he was practically jumping out of his skin. He came out for warmups early. Before tip, he was bouncing around the court, banging into Josh Smith, throwing down dunks. During the national anthem, he rocked back and forth like a fighter in the ring.

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: Michael Jordan never experienced it. Neither did Scottie Pippen. Not even Phil Jackson accomplished the feat. With their 116-103 victory over the Raptors Wednesday night at Air Canada Centre, the Bulls guaranteed their fifth straight winning road record for the first time in franchise history. Overall, the Bulls improved to 113-79 away from the United Center under Tom Thibodeau. That's a .589 road winning percentage. And that, plus the eventual addition of Derrick Rose, who said earlier in the day he would be cleared for contact "sometime this week or next," is the kind of stuff that gives the Bulls confidence moving forward. That confidence is there regardless of their playoff seed, whether or not they have home-court advantage. This is why, after using a 39-21 fourth quarter to sweep the season series from the Raptors and take a 1-1/2-game lead in the race for the third seed, the Bulls aren't hung up on when or if they face the Cavaliers.

Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star: Back when the Indiana Pacers glided to their season-best winning streak, they faced several rivals who were missing their star players. The list of absent or injured standouts could have made an All-Star team, but the Pacers took advantage and recorded seven straight wins. By Wednesday night, with the Pacers mired in a streak moving rapidly in the wrong direction, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall served as a reminder to the strength of star power. However, the Pacers, unfazed by the wattage of Wall's stardom, showed team balance as well as their own version of Capitol Hill. Indiana defeated Washington 103-101 after George Hill, in high pick-and-roll action with David West, zipped to the rim for the game-winning finger roll with only two seconds remaining.

Jabari Young of CSNNW.com: Lillard got the praise, recording his fifth straight double-double this season (23 points, 12 assists), while Aldridge, who returned from a one-game absence (left index finger), shook off his early rust to finish with 19 points and nine rebounds. Thing is, Dorell Wright started it all when he provided that vocal leadership, and then backed it up with his play when the Blazers needed it most. ... This wasn’t the first time Wright came through when needed. Flashback to that triple-overtime game against San Antonio, when he hit some key shots down the stretch to help the Blazers get a victory. Against the Jazz, though, it was different. All the talk had been how the Blazers were not the same team without Wesley Matthews. But his passion, the ability to hit a key 3-pointer, play solid defense, and be that guy who says what needs to be said when it’s needed is gone. There is no hiding the Blazers miss what Matthews provided, but for at least one night, Wright took his place.

Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times: The fun was just getting started for the Clippers when they walked off the court with their most lopsided victory at Madison Square Garden in franchise history. A Clippers official announced that Coach Doc Rivers had developed a stomach illness, leaving assistant Mike Woodson to address the media Wednesday night after the team's 111-80 victory over the New York Knicks. Those would be the same Knicks who fired Woodson in April, a season after he guided them to their first playoff series victory in 13 seasons. So, when did Rivers tell Woodson that he was going to be sick? "No comment," Woodson said with a sly smile. The Clippers could afford to be a touch mischievous after easily topping their previous biggest victory at the Garden, a 17-point triumph in March 1996.

Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: There will be a lot of movement this summer for the Lakers, who have only four players with fully guaranteed contracts next season — Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Julius Randle and Ryan Kelly. They are also expected to bring back Jordan Clarkson, Tarik Black and perhaps Robert Sacre, all of whom have non-guaranteed deals, but might lose Ed Davis, who will almost surely decline a minimal player option to return. Wesley Johnson likes Los Angeles, enjoys living in Redondo Beach. He has considered returning to the Lakers despite their reluctance in the past to offer anything more than a one-year deal. "I actually have," he said. "It's one of those things where you definitely don't want to jump ship when something's going bad. I actually want to be a part of it to see if we can get back on the right foot. We'll see what happens this off-season, see what direction they're going."

Tim Bontemps of the New York Post: The Nets picked up a key win, but also may have lost a key player. Because of a huge performance from Brook Lopez, who finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, the Nets emerged with a desperately needed 91-88 win over the Hornets Wednesday night inside Time Warner Cable Arena. The victory moved them back to within a half-game of eighth place as the death march for the final three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference continues. The win allowed the Nets (30-40) to remain 1 ¹/₂ games out behind in the race for the final playoff spot while also ensuring they clinched the tiebreaker over the Hornets because of a 2-1 edge in the season series.

Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: The Kings are on their second extended trip under George Karl, beginning a four-game trek Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. Karl, however, hasn’t gotten over Sacramento’s eight-game trip earlier this month. “I’m still depressed over the last trip because if we make a layup in Miami and we beat Orlando, it’s a pretty good trip,” Karl said. “Instead, we go 2-6 and we come home and get beat by two contenders (Atlanta and the Los Angeles Clippers).” Karl took some blame for the last trip. Karl said more than once the Kings looked tired, especially at the end of the trip, when they blew big leads in the second half and lost to Philadelphia and Washington. ... After 19 games in his system, Karl believes the Kings are better conditioned for the running he demands to play at a fast pace. Karl said he notices fewer lulls in energy from his players.

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer: Joel Embiid is checking things off his list, 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "He's ticking boxes in regards to increased time on the court and reduced weight," Brown said of the rookie center. "His weight is going down." The Sixers, who won't disclose Embiid's weight, opted to sideline the 7-foot center this season after he had foot surgery in June. The 21-year-old has been participating in pregame workouts with Brown on the court. Embiid has been displaying a soft shooting touch and athleticism that are rare for a man of his stature. "His needle is clearly pointing in the right direction," Brown said. "And you heard me say this a lot lately, he's setting the stage for a great summer. He sees his reward will be summer league, trying to get ready to actually play again."