Hawks vs Blazers: Spread and Score Predictions
Who's ready for some late-night basketball?
The Hawks are heading out west for five games and their first opponent on the road trip will be the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Blazers have lost four of their last five games but did get a win over the Toronto Raptors in overtime. The Hawks had their three-game losing streak snapped on Sunday by the New Orleans Pelicans. In that loss to New Orleans, the Hawks lost forward Saddiq Bey for the season with a torn ACL and that has made life tougher for them, as Bey was an important part of the team. The Hawks will be missing Trae Young, Onyeka Okongwu, and Kobe Bufkin tonight, and forward Jalen Johnson is doubtful. Atlanta is one of the most injured teams in the NBA right now and it is going to be challenging for them to even beat a team like the Blazers, who sit at the bottom of the standings.
So how do these two teams match up?
Coming into this game, Atlanta ranks 5th in PPG, 22nd in field goal percentage, 8th in three-point attempts, 18th in three-point percentage, 5th in free throw attempts, 1st in offensive rebounding, and 13th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 9th in points per 100 possessions, 20th in effective field goal percentage, 8th in turnover percentage, 5th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 8th in free throw rate.
Dejounte Murray has played well without Young and he has had to. The offense has a whole has been suffering with Young out of the lineup and it has allowed teams to go all in on trying to guard Murray. New Orleans has one of the best defenders in the NBA, Herb Jones, to throw at Murray, but Portland does not have someone like that. Murray can take advantage of poor defensive play in the backcourt and look for mismatches there.
Bogdan Bogdanovic is the No. 2 option on the Hawks offense and it is not close. Krejci has not given the Hawks much in ways of scoring and rebounding so far in his two starts, but the Hawks might need more if Johnson does not play. Krejci has shown the ability to drive to the basket and find open guys, but the rest of his offense has not come along yet.
They will be matched up against a pretty poor Portland defense. Portland is 17th in PPG allowed, 27th in field goal percentage allowed, and 6th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Blazers are 24th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 25th in effective field goal percentage.
Mar 6, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Portland also has a poor offense, but the Hawks are going to be starting multiple guys who can be picked on when it comes to the defensive end. The Blazers are 28th in PPG, 29th in field goal percentage, 20th in three-point attempts, 25th in three-point percentage, 17th in free throw attempts, 4th in offensive rebounding, and 26th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Portland is 28th in points per 100 possessions, 30th in effective field goal percentage, 27th in turnover percentage, 3rd in offensive rebounding percentage, and 18th in free throw rate.
If Jerami Grant plays for the Blazers tonight, he and Anfernee Simons will be the guys to watch on offense. Henderson still has huge upside, but he has not been much of an offensive threat this year.
The Hawks have played decent defense over the past seven games, but those games have mostly been against short-handed opponents. They are currently 29th in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage allowed, and 28th in three-point percentage. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage.
Viewing and Betting Information
Tip-off time: 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Moda Center, Portland, OR
Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast
Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be favorites on the road tonight, as they are currently 1.5 point favorites and the over/under is at 218.5 according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook.
I like Portland tonight in this game, as well as the over. Atlanta is just too beat up right now to trust them and while the Blazers are hard to trust, I think Simons, Grant, and Ayton all can have good games against this team. Atlanta starts its trip with a loss.
Final Score: Blazers 114, Hawks 109
