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

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Things could person gone amended for nan Hawks against nan Lakers.

After a three-game winning streak pursuing nan Trae Young trade, nan Hawks looked for illustration they could beryllium making a spot of a tally successful nan Eastern Conference. They had plentifulness of momentum heading into a crippled pinch nan Lakers, who are ever a threat pinch LeBron and Luka Doncic. However, nan Lakers were without their 3rd champion subordinate successful Austin Reaves and riding a three-game losing streak into this matchup.

Fortunately, nan Hawks were their get-right game. LA led by 32 points astatine 1 constituent successful this crippled and though Atlanta trim nan shortage to 11 points pinch astir 9 minutes left, nan duo of Doncic and LeBron proved excessively overmuch to overcome. LeBron dropped 31 points, dished retired 10 assists and vanished 1 rebound awkward of a triple-double while Luka scored 27 points and recorded 12 assists of his own.

Atlanta's prima player, guardant Jalen Johnson, had arguably his worst crippled of nan play pinch 13 points, six assists and 3 rebounds. New arrivals Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum mixed for 44 points disconnected nan chair and Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 26 points of his own. However, nan Hawks lacked some nan firepower and expertise to get stops connected defense for their large performances to matter.

A blowout nonaccomplishment to nan Golden State Warriors should springiness nan Blazers immoderate information for a beardown capacity heading into tonight's game. Portland has been an afterthought successful nan Western Conference, but Deni Avdija has blossomed into an All-Star level subordinate and their beardown protect personality has fixed them a coagulated level moreover without an awesome record.

By nan Numbers

Apr 1, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guardant Deni Avdija (8) dribbles defended by Atlanta Hawks defender Dyson Daniels (5) during nan 2nd half astatine State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Atlanta's discourtesy is starting to prime up successful caller games, and it should amended erstwhile they get Risacher and Porzingis backmost to subordinate CJ McCollum. Right now, they are 8th successful points, 8th successful FG%, 5th successful 3P%, 24th successful FT%, 25th successful rebounds (26th successful OREB, 18th successful DREB), 1st successful assists, and 15th successful turnovers per game. They're 18th successful violative standing this year.

Giving up 141 points successful regularisation is going to beryllium a large damper connected immoderate defense, but this Hawks defense took a terrible backslide aft they performed good against nan Golden State Warriors successful their crippled anterior to nan Lakers one. The Hawks' defense ranks 25th successful points allowed, 23rd successful FG% allowed, 14th successful 3P% allowed, 26th successful rebounds allowed, 5th successful steals, and 17th successful blocks. They're 14th successful protect standing this year.

Despite a beardown play from Avdija, nan Blazers discourtesy hasn't been a very beardown portion each year. They rank 18th successful PPG, 28th successful FG%, 28th successful 3p%, 20th successful FT%, 9th successful rebounds (2nd successful OREB and 25th successful DREB), 27th successful assists per game, and 30th successful turnovers per game. The Blazers are 23rd successful violative standing this season.

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

Three Reasons nan Hawks Can Win This Game

Apr 1, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guardant Onyeka Okongwu (17) shoots down Portland Trail Blazers halfway Donovan Clingan (23) during nan 2nd half astatine State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

One of nan clearest pathways for nan Hawks to triumph this crippled is by turning Portland's ball-handlers over. The Blazers are past successful nan convention for TOVs per crippled because their ball-handlers aren't very turnover-averse and that will only go harder pinch nan expected absence of Deni Avdija. He is by acold their champion ball-handler - he is averaging a career-high 6.9 assists per crippled connected nan highest USG% of his profession (28.9%). This could perchance beryllium a immense protect crippled for Daniels and Alexander-Walker.

Speaking of Avdija, nan Blazers are a overmuch little vulnerable squad without him successful nan lineup. He's been their champion passer, but he's besides averaging 26.1 points and 7.1 rebounds connected an businesslike 61.2 TS%. The main area successful which nan Blazers are going to miss Avdija is done their free propulsion rate. He has been fouled connected a staggering 22.3% of his shots, which is successful nan 98th percentile of each forwards. He is highly fierce erstwhile driving to nan rim and that's been enormously adjuvant to a Portland squad that doesn't person galore proven violative options.

After 1 of nan worst games of his career, nan Hawks are very overmuch owed for a bounce-back crippled for Jalen Johnson. Toumani Camara is simply a talented defender and should get a batch of clip connected him, but nan Hawks guardant has been mostly unstoppable passim astir of his performances this play and should get backmost to his triple-double level accumulation against an exploitable Blazers defense. Despite nan mediocre game, he's still averaging 23.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 8.1 assists connected 60.9 TS%.

Three Reasons The Hawks Might Lose This Game

Apr 1, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guardant Toumani Camara (33) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks defender Vit Krejci (27) during nan 2nd half astatine State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Even though nan Blazers look a reliable trial coming if Avdija doesn't play, nan wide squad has been playing rather good arsenic of late. Before nan blowout nonaccomplishment to Golden State, they won 7 of their past 9 games and had an awesome triumph complete nan Houston Rockets. One of nan keys towards that turnaround has been nan improved two-way play of Toumani Camara. Camara dropped a career-high 25 points against nan Rockets earlier having 2 unsmooth games against nan Knicks and Warriors. Even though he's been disappointing this season, he is easy tin of having a large crippled to propel Portland to an upset victory.

The Hawks person not been a peculiarly beardown squad connected nan boards this season, but nan Blazers are overmuch amended connected that end. Specifically, they are 2nd successful nan NBA successful second-chance points and consistently get buckets purely done Donovan Clingan out-muscling group successful nan paint. Clingan is averaging 10.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 blocks this season. He is presently starring nan convention successful full rebound percent (21.3%), which intends that he grabs nan highest stock of rebounds successful his minutes crossed nan NBA. This could beryllium a reliable crippled for nan undersized Onyeka Okongwu successful nan paint.

One of nan champion stories for nan Blazers this play is nan effect of Caleb Love disconnected nan chair arsenic a scorer. He had a monolithic crippled against nan Knicks, scoring 21 points while hitting 5 threes arsenic a reserve and giving nan Blazers a spark disconnected nan bench. As a rookie, he's shown nan expertise to abstraction nan level for Portland and measurement into a bigger scoring domiciled connected occasions. There's a bully chance he starts tonight's crippled against Atlanta and nan Hawks' perimeter defense has been a problem each year. It wouldn't beryllium very astonishing if Love had a large crippled against nan Hawks.