The Atlanta Hawks will try to dampen the diminishing postseason hopes held by the Portland Trail Blazers when they host the final meeting between the teams on Tuesday.
The Blazers (32-43) are in 12th place in the Western Conference, but they need to make up at least four games in the standings over the final two weeks to reach the play-in tournament. Portland, playing the third leg of a five-game road trip, is coming off a 110-93 loss Sunday in New York that marked its fifth straight road loss.
The Hawks (36-38) currently hold the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference and are assured of a postseason spot. While their chances aren’t great to avoid the play-in tournament, they helped their cause by hammering the Milwaukee Bucks 145-124 Sunday on the road. That pulled them within four games of the Bucks for sixth place.
This will be the second meeting between the two teams this season. The Blazers beat the Hawks 114-110 Nov. 17 in Portland, which marked Atlanta’s eighth straight loss in Portland. However, the Hawks have won five in a row against the Blazers in Atlanta — a streak that dates back to March 29, 2019.
Atlanta is getting a late-season lift from Zaccharie Risacher, the 19-year-old No. 1 overall draft pick. He scored a career-high 36 points Sunday to spark the Hawks to their largest offensive output of the season. It was a nice bounce-back from his five-point performance Thursday at Miami.
Risacher averages 12.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists and is making a late push to be voted the NBA Rookie of the Year. He has scored 20-plus points in three of the last six games.
“He runs so consistently and so hard that he gets some easy baskets by doing that,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “I think that also puts you in the flow of the game and he’s just being instinctive. I think it’s the work he’s put in and continuing to shoot. We believe in him as a coaching staff and I know his teammates believe in him, too.”
Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels nabbed five more steals Sunday to set the franchise record with 213, one more than Mookie Blaylock’s mark. He has had multiple steals in 54 games, the most by an NBA in one season since Steph Curry had 55 in 2015-16. Daniels leads the league with 3.1 steals per game.
Atlanta’s Trae Young continues to deal with right Achilles tendinitis, but is listed as probable. He had 19 points and 19 assists on Sunday.
Portland has been riding the hot hand of Deni Avdija, who scored 33 against the Knicks for his fifth 30-plus effort in March. He’s averaging 25.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists over the last 10 games, which has elevated his season averages to 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
“Deni had another great night,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said after Sunday’s game. “He carried us a lot of different ways.”
Anfernee Simons was listed as questionable on Sunday with forearm soreness, but played and scored 15. His effectiveness was limited from long range as he went only 1-for-8 on 3-point attempts.
Atlanta-area product Scoot Henderson, Portland’s backup point guard, is in concussion protocol and did not play against the Knicks.
–Field Level Media
