Atlanta Hawks vs Portland Trail Blazers: Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups for Today's Matchup

Things could have gone better for the Hawks against the Lakers.

After a three-game winning streak following the Trae Young trade, the Hawks looked like they could be making a bit of a run in the Eastern Conference. They had plenty of momentum heading into a game with the Lakers, who are always a threat with LeBron and Luka Doncic. However, the Lakers were without their third best player in Austin Reaves and riding a three-game losing streak into this matchup.

Fortunately, the Hawks were their get-right game. LA led by 32 points at one point in this game and although Atlanta cut the deficit to 11 points with about nine minutes left, the duo of Doncic and LeBron proved too much to overcome. LeBron dropped 31 points, dished out 10 assists and finished one rebound shy of a triple-double while Luka scored 27 points and recorded 12 assists of his own.

Atlanta's star player, forward Jalen Johnson, had arguably his worst game of the season with 13 points, six assists and three rebounds. New arrivals Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum combined for 44 points off the bench and Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 26 points of his own. However, the Hawks lacked both the firepower and ability to get stops on defense for their big performances to matter.

A blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors should give the Blazers some motivation for a strong performance heading into tonight's game. Portland has been an afterthought in the Western Conference, but Deni Avdija has blossomed into an All-Star level player and their strong defensive identity has given them a solid floor even without an impressive record.

By the Numbers

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, Avdija, Deni Avdija, Daniels, Dyson Daniel — Apr 1, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) dribbles defended by Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Atlanta's offense is starting to pick up in recent games, and it should improve once they get Risacher and Porzingis back to join CJ McCollum. Right now, they are 8th in points, 8th in FG%, 5th in 3P%, 24th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (26th in OREB, 18th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 15th in turnovers per game. They're 18th in offensive rating this year.

Giving up 141 points in regulation is going to be a big damper on any defense, but this Hawks defense took a severe backslide after they performed well against the Golden State Warriors in their game prior to the Lakers one. The Hawks' defense ranks 25th in points allowed, 23rd in FG% allowed, 14th in 3P% allowed, 26th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 17th in blocks. They're 14th in defensive rating this year.

Despite a strong season from Avdija, the Blazers offense hasn't been a very strong unit all year. They rank 18th in PPG, 28th in FG%, 28th in 3p%, 20th in FT%, 9th in rebounds (2nd in OREB and 25th in DREB), 27th in assists per game, and 30th in turnovers per game. The Blazers are 23rd in offensive rating this season.

Portland's defense has talented players like Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan. However, the results of the defense haven't been great. They are 24th in PPG allowed, 19th in FG% allowed, 10th in 3P% allowed, 15th in rebounds allowed, 18th in steals, and 15th in blocks. They are 18th in defensive rating.

Three Reasons the Hawks Can Win This Game

Atlanta Hawks, Hawks, Okongwu, Onyeka Okongwu, Blazers, Portland Trail Blazer — Apr 1, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) shoots behind Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

One of the clearest pathways for the Hawks to win this game is by turning Portland's ball-handlers over. The Blazers are last in the league for TOVs per game because their ball-handlers aren't very turnover-averse and that will only become harder with the expected absence of Deni Avdija. He is by far their best ball-handler - he is averaging a career-high 6.9 assists per game on the highest USG% of his career (28.9%). This could potentially be a huge defensive game for Daniels and Alexander-Walker.

Speaking of Avdija, the Blazers are a much less dangerous team without him in the lineup. He's been their best passer, but he's also averaging 26.1 points and 7.1 rebounds on an efficient 61.2 TS%. The main area in which the Blazers are going to miss Avdija is through their free throw rate. He has been fouled on a staggering 22.3% of his shots, which is in the 98th percentile of all forwards. He is extremely aggressive when driving to the rim and that's been enormously helpful to a Portland team that doesn't have many proven offensive options.

After one of the worst games of his career, the Hawks are very much due for a bounce-back game for Jalen Johnson. Toumani Camara is a talented defender and should get a lot of time on him, but the Hawks forward has been largely unstoppable throughout most of his performances this season and should get back to his triple-double level production against an exploitable Blazers defense. Despite the poor game, he's still averaging 23.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 8.1 assists on 60.9 TS%.

Three Reasons The Hawks Might Lose This Game

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Krejci, Vit Krejci, Portland, Portland Trail Blazer — Apr 1, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci (27) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Even though the Blazers face a tough test tonight if Avdija doesn't play, the overall team has been playing quite well as of late. Before the blowout loss to Golden State, they won seven of their last nine games and had an impressive victory over the Houston Rockets. One of the keys towards that turnaround has been the improved two-way play of Toumani Camara. Camara dropped a career-high 25 points against the Rockets before having two rough games against the Knicks and Warriors. Even though he's been disappointing this season, he is easily capable of having a big game to propel Portland to an upset victory.

The Hawks have not been a particularly strong team on the boards this season, but the Blazers are much better on that end. Specifically, they are 2nd in the NBA in second-chance points and consistently get buckets purely through Donovan Clingan out-muscling people in the paint. Clingan is averaging 10.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 blocks this season. He is currently leading the league in total rebound percentage (21.3%), which means that he grabs the highest share of rebounds in his minutes across the NBA. This could be a tough game for the undersized Onyeka Okongwu in the paint.

One of the best stories for the Blazers this season is the effect of Caleb Love off the bench as a scorer. He had a massive game against the Knicks, scoring 21 points while hitting five threes as a reserve and giving the Blazers a spark off the bench. As a rookie, he's shown the ability to space the floor for Portland and step into a bigger scoring role on occasions. There's a good chance he starts tonight's game against Atlanta and the Hawks' perimeter defense has been a problem all year. It wouldn't be very surprising if Love had a big game against the Hawks.

Injury Report

Kristaps Porzingis and Zaccharie Risacher are both out while Luke Kennard and Mo Gueye are both questionable.

For Portland, Deni Avdija is doubtful while Jerami Grant, Kris Murray, Matisse Thybulle and Scoot Henderson are all out.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Moda Center, Portland, OR

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Vit Krejci

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Blazers

G - Shaedon Sharpe

G - Caleb Love

F- Sidy Cissoko

F- Toumani Camara

C- Donovan Clingan