As fans applauded the strong play off the bench by forward Austin Croshere and guard Travis Best, who led all scorers with 20 points apiece, many did so while clutching American flags.

"There's a war going on. We'll try to do the best we can to entertain people and try to take their minds off things," said coach Isiah Thomas, whose team outscored Atlanta 30-20 in the fourth quarter.

Thomas said his decision to use mostly veterans down the stretch against Atlanta's reserves was done partly to ensure that fans went home happy.

"Being at home, I wanted to win at home," he said.