Hawks vs Blazers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups

Can the Hawks go on the road and beat the Portland Trail Blazers?

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Mar 13, 2024 8:00 AM EDT

In this story:

After two days off, the Atlanta Hawks are back in action tonight and are at the front of their five-game West Coast trip. They hope to make the most of it considering how injured they are and that starts tonight in Portland.

The Hawks already had injuries piling up before forward Saddiq Bey tore his ACL at the beginning of the fourth quarter in the loss to New Orleans. Atlanta comes into tonight's game vs Portland as one of the most injured teams in the NBA and they are going to have to play a great game to beat the Blazers on the road.

In their first season after trading away franchise legend Damian Lillard, Portland has been about where you would expect. They have been trying to see what they have in the young backcourt of Anfernee Simons and No. 2 pick Scoot Henderson, as well as center Deandre Ayton, the former No. 1 overall pick. In terms of their record, they are one of the worst teams in the league and will be picking near the top of the draft if the lottery breaks the way they want.

So who might win tonight's matchup? Let's preview the game.

Game Preview

It is going to be interesting to see the Hawks' lineup and rotation for tonight's game. They are still without Trae Young, Onyeka Okongwu, and Kobe Bufkin. Forward Jalen Johnson is also doubtful. If Johnson misses his third straight game, I would expect to possibly see Garrison Matthews starting in place of Bey while Vit Krejci still starts in place of Johnson. Atlanta does not like to be in a position where either of those guys has to be starting or playing a lot of meaningful minutes, but it is the position they find themselves in.

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.

If Matthews does indeed start, his three-point shooting will help Atlanta, as he is a 42.3% shooter from three. Matthews's biggest weakness though are that he is one-dimensional on offense and is a liability. If De'Andre Hunter is still on a minutes restriction though, he is likely going to start.

Hunter has been good for the Hawks off the bench, but he is not going to play big minutes. He did not shoot well in the last game against the Pelicans, but I expect a bounce-back game from him.

Clint Capela and Bruno Fernando will get the minutes at center tonight. They are going to have to play well because Portland is one of the better offensive-rebounding teams in the NBA.

Mar 8, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) shoots as Memphis Grizzlies forward Lamar Stevens (24) defends during the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

This could be the game that the Hawks play Dylan Windler, their recent two-way contract signee. Windler has not played yet for Atlanta, but the Hawks are pretty shorthanded.

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.

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.

Portland has a poor offense, but they 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.

Injury Report

Jalen Johnson (right ankle sprain) is doubtful while Trae Young (finger) Onyeka Okongwu (toe), and Kobe Bufkin (toe) are out.

Jerami Grant is questionable for the Blazers.

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.