Portland Trail Blazers vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction and Match Preview - May 3rd, 2021 | NBA season 2020-21
The in-form Portland Trail Blazers will continue their East Coast road trip in the 2020-21 NBA when they face the Atlanta Hawks at the State Farm Arena on Monday.
In the previous meeting between the two teams, the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Atlanta Hawks 112-106.
Match Details
Fixture - Portland Trail Blazers vs Atlanta Hawks | 2020-21 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Monday, May 3rd; 8:00 PM ET (Tuesday, May 4th; 5:30 AM IST).
Venue - State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA.
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers have rediscovered their mojo in the last week or so after recording just four wins in 14 games before that. They are now on a four-game win streak as they aim to avoid the play-in tournament.
The seventh-seeded Portland Trail Blazers improved their season record to 36-28 after their 129-119 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Star duo CJ McCollum (33 points) and Damian Lillard (26 points, 13 assists) shone for the team once again.
The Blazers have been brutal offensively, scoring over 128 points in all of last four wins. They will hope to continue the same against the Atlanta Hawks.
Key Player - Damian Lillard
As expected, Damian Lillard has been the driving force for the Portland Trail Blazers in their remarkable turnaround this season. He has amassed 26 points and 8.2 assists per contest in the last four games.
Lillard will need to come up big in this game, as both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Atlanta Hawks thrive in offense.
Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Damian Lillard l Shooting Guard - CJ McCollum l Small Forward - Norman Powell l Power Forward - Robert Covington | Center - Jusuf Nurkic.
Atlanta Hawks Preview
The Atlanta Hawks returned to winning ways in their last game, snapping a three-game skid in the process. They have had their fair share of injury problems to deal with but look good to secure the sixth seed in their Conference.
The Hawks are 35-30 on the season and are seeded fifth alongside the Miami Heat and a game ahead of the seventh-placed Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings. They are coming off a 108-97 win over the Chicago Bulls in their last outing.
Trae Young was terrific once again, scoring a team-high 33 points, while Clint Capela recorded a double-double, registering 20 points and claiming 11 boards on the night. The Atlanta Hawks did surprisingly well at the defensive end, an area they have struggled this season.
Key Player - Clint Capela
Clint Capela is having a season to remember with the Atlanta Hawks this term, as he has been a key component in their successful run.
He leads the league in rebounds at 14.5 per game and is also scoring a respectable 15.4 points per contest. Capela has improved defensively as well, managing 2.1 blocks per contest so far this season.
The Portland Trail Blazers have two really impactful bigs in Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter. So Capela's matchup with them could be a key factor in the outcome of this game.
Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Trae Young l Shooting Guard - Bogdan Bogdanovic l Small Forward - Solomon Hill l Power Forward - John Collins | Center - Clint Capela.
Blazers vs Hawks Prediction
The Portland Trail Blazers come into this game in better form than the Atlanta Hawks. That makes them the favorites to win this tie and claim the season series between the two teams.
The Hawks have a staggering 19-11 home record this campaign, which could make this matchup an enticing affair.
Where to watch the Blazers vs Hawks game?
Local coverage of the game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Atlanta Hawks will be available on Bally Sports Southeast and NBC Sports Northwest. The game can also be streamed live with an NBA League Pass.