Playing without its starting backcourt, Portland lost by nine points when the teams met earlier this season in Atlanta. Damien Lillard and C.J. McCollum should be in the lineup when the Trail Blazers open a seven-game homestand.
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LETDOWN
Unfortunately for the Hawks, they’ve struggled to maintain the form that made them one of the NBA’s most surprising teams last season. There are nights like what the hawks had on Saturday, when they dismantled the Nets in the second-half with the sort of fast-breaking, team-first style that had them being mentioned as an East Coast version of the Golden State Warriors. But, while the Warriors have taken their game to a higher level after capturing the NBA title last season, the Hawks faded down the stretch last spring and are now trying to figure out a way to separate themselves from a pack of teams in the improved Eastern Conference. Atlanta reached the midway point of the season at 24-17 – nine wins worse than their mart at this time in 2015. Wednesday’s game is the first in a four-game Western Conference swing for the Hawks with all four opponents playing below .500.
Portland entered Saturday’s game in Philadelphia riding a season-best three-game winning streak and had inched closer to the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Following impressive wins over Oklahoma City and Utah, the feeling around the Blazers locker room was that they were playing their best basketball of the season. That ended with a thud against the NBA’s worst team. Now, the Blazers look to regroup in the opener of a seven-game home-stand.
INJURIES
Both teams are relatively healthy with no injuries reported ahead of this matchup.
KEY MATCHUP
With the All-Star game quickly approaching, Damian Lillard is stating his case to be included in this season’s event. Lillard recorded 33 points and 10 assists as the Blazers won the first game of their three-game trip, knocking off the Nets on Friday. It was the latest jaw-dropping performance in a memorable streak for a player who is determined to carry his team to the playoffs and cement his status as one of the game’s best point guards. During a four-game stretch, Lillard averaged 30.3 points, 9.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds, while shooting 50 percent from the field and three-point range. And perhaps the most impressive part of it all is that his performance against the Nets is what we’ve come to expect from a player performing at a high level. Lillard has adjusted to the way teams are attacking him defensively. He’s reading double-teams sooner and initiating offense before he’s sandwiched by defenders. That’s led to mismatches and open looks for teammates, which in turn opens things up for the entire Blazers offense.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
If you keep waiting for the Hawks to find the level of play that led them to 60 wins last season, it could be awhile. What Atlanta was able to accomplish last season was amazing, but this isn’t the same team. Sure, many of the players are still around, but the Hawks were able to sneak up on opponents last season. That hasn’t been this case this season. Atlanta has a target and teams gear up to play the team that finished seven games ahead of the Cavaliers for the top spot in the East last year. So, what the Hawks have been able to accomplish this season – leading the Southeast Division and fourth overall in the conference – shows that they are still a very good team. Atlanta posted a 106-97 win when the teams met on Dec. 21, taking advantage of the Blazers without Lillard and McCollum, the team’s top two scorers who combine to average 45.1 points per game. Atlanta is 2-4 SU and ATS in its last six road games with one of those victories over the lowly 76ers, a team that just embarrassed Portland on Friday.
Atlanta 97, Portland 94
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