Atlanta Hawks vs. Portland Trail Blazers Prediction, Preview, and Odds

The Atlanta Hawks have not yet quite found their footing this season with a record of 25-25 thus far. Dejounte Murray and Trae Young have played well together in their first year as a backcourt duo but the Hawks have struggled with injuries along the front line. On Saturday night, the Hawks were done in by the Clippers dynamic duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who combined for 53 points, fell 120-113 at home. The Hawks fought back from a big deficit to make it a ball game late, thanks to Young's 31 points, 12 of which came in the final period.

“You’ve got two guys out there that are all-NBA type players," Young said. “It’s easier said on how to stop those guys than just doing it. They played really good tonight. Kawhi did a really good job of scoring when he needed to and P.G. got everybody involved when he was getting in traps and stuff, but he was scoring early. Those guys played really well. You’ve got to give them credit."

The Hawks come in with six wins in their last ten games. They are 12-15 on the road and this will be the team's first matchup against Portland this season Atlanta is 9th in the NBA in points per game. The Hawks are just 25th in the NBA in 3pt shooting, despite the presence of Young. Defensively, Atlanta is just 22nd in points allowed per game. The Hawks are fifth in 3pt defense this season. On the glass, Atlanta is just 22nd in the NBA.

The Portland Trail Blazers have struggled throughout the first half to get a strong foothold in the Western Conference playoff hunt. They won two straight games recently, including a 60-point performance from Dame Lillard. On Saturday night, the Blazers fell to Toronto at home, 123-105. Lillard scored 30 for the Blazers and Jerami Grant added 28 points. Portland was out-rebounded 45-27 on the night.

“They came out and imposed their will against us,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said.

The Blazers are just 4-6 in their last ten games and are now three games below .500 for the season. Portland is 17th in the NBA in scoring but 7th in the league in 3pt field goal percentage. Portland, with an excellent backcourt, is surprisingly just 25th in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio. They are 16th in the NBA in points allowed and 22nd in rebounding.

Key Injuries: Yusaf Nurkic and Josh Hart are both listed as questionable for this game.

Best Bets for this Game

Insiders Status:

Atlanta has gone past this total in six out of the last seven games. The Blazers, meanwhile, have scored 130 or more points in two of their last three games. Atlanta also plays at the eight fastest pace of play in the NBA and they will certainly try to push the tempo on the road and keep this game at a quicker pace. Look for Atlanta to pick up the win and do so in a high scoring matchup.