Official Game Thread: Hawks at Trail Blazers

[lethalweapon3]

“Knock, Knock!”

“Sigh… Who’s there, Bawb?”

“A drunk UGA Quarterback!”

 

Prepare for takeoff! The Atlanta Hawks get the chance to knock out almost all of their Western travel duties before the All-Star Break, with this five-game trip that begins tonight with the Trail Blazers in Portland (10 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, ROOT Sports Plus in PDX, NBATV everywhere else). This run in the schedule is an opportunity to firm up their Play-In resume, among teams in what is shaping up to be the Pretenders Invitational.

Miami, last night, was the latest team to leave its home fans in a sour, dour mood following a defensive collapse versus Charlotte. For now, they cling perilously to the final No-Play-In seed in the East, one game ahead of the Knicks and 2.5 in front of the Hawks (25-25), as visits to the Knicks, the Cavs, Bucks, Nets, and the Fighting Bol Bols loom before the Break.

The heat are ripe for the overtaking, as long as one Pretender contender is willing to do what it takes to pluck them from the low-hanging 6-seed branch. There may be more disappointments in store back home at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, but teams worthy of that #6 seed will sport at least break-even records on the road. Once the Hawks (12-14 in away games) finish flying the friendlier skies nine days from now, these young men won’t have to go West again until two games in late March, at Dejounte Murray’s old stomping grounds of San Antonio, and at Minnesota.

Until those March trips arrive, the Hawks will only travel to Charlotte for a pre-Break payback match. Then they’ll have some sleepovers in Miami and D.C., playing pairs of away games against their other division rivals. In the meantime, a healthier Hawks club has to pick up as many road wins as possible.

They have to pull this off with two sobering acknowledgements One, superstars like Damian Lillard (last 3 games: 42.3 PPG, 7.7 APG, 63.2 FG%, 51.4 3FG%) are probable to go off for 60 on any night. Two, opponents that can hit their perimeter shots on a multitude of possessions can go off for 40 in any quarter, 80 in any half. Hardly any NBA team, certainly not the Hawks, are immune.

Atlanta was unable to stick to Clipper bench shooters (4-for-8 3FGs) in Saturday’s 120-113 home loss to LA, while closing out the game 1-for-7 on threes themselves in the fourth quarter. But the Hawks did have reason to feel they were in the running late, due to containing the Clips to 22 first-quarter points, plus turning in a low-turnover second-half (11 assists, 1 player TO, despite 3-for-15 on threes). Setting up better open looks, knowing the opposing personnel, and continuing to keep unforced errors to a minimum will give Atlanta a chance to play the road-team spoiler role late in the coming week-and-a-half’s worth of contest.

Portland (23-26, 5-9 this month) overachieved out of the gate to begin the season, but lately they’ve struggled to keep pace with division mates Denver, Minnesota (11-4 along with DEN in January), Utah and, surprise, Oklahoma City (this month’s top Net Rating in the NBA, their +8.7 ahead of second-place Denver’s +8.0).

The Blazers greatly wish to grant Lillard a shot at knocking off some teams come Play-In time, not the least because their first-rounder is only lottery-protected from Chicago (thank you, Larry Nance, for your half-season rental). The best of the haul GM Joe Cronin received, in dealing away Nance and CJ McCollum to New Orleans at 2022’s Trade Deadline, is utilitarian swingman Josh Hart (9.3 PPG, down from 19.9 in his post-trade stint; 8.1 RPG, 4.0 APG, 57.3 2FG%, 33.0 3FG%).

Alas, Hart (questionable, tight hammy) is in the running with Portland’s ran-his-course center Jusuf Nurkic (sore calf), and Atlanta’s John Collins for the title of the league’s hottest Deadline trade commodity. The 27-year-old Hart’s $13 million contract for next season becomes unguaranteed if he chooses to opt-in, which suggests he won’t.

The team would like to move on from Nurkic, but in his and Hart’s absence on Saturday night the Blazers were gnashed around the glass by the Raptors (30 D-Rebs to 27 POR Total Rebs, plus 15 O-Rebs), Toronto surging past the Moda Center hosts by a 37-14 score in the opening quarter before cruising to a 123-105 victory. Whatever comes back in a deal for either Hart or Nurkic must be a rebounding upgrade over Drew Eubanks and second-year pros Trendon Watford and Greg Brown.

For Collins (2-for-7 FGs in second half vs. LAC, after 5-for-6 and a team-high 11 points in the first), and the Hawk veterans without tricky details like trade kickers in their contracts, road victories are possible if they stay focused on the task in front of them, not looking as if their head is in on a swivel, in search of a team executive about to tap them on the shoulder. More balanced offensive support will keep Trae Young (questionable, sore ankle; 31 points despite 0-for-2 on 3FGs, 10 assists vs. LAC) from feeling obligated to go bucket-for-bucket with Lillard, tonight, and the scoring guards that await during what could be a fortuitous trip.

Place your Trae in the upright position, Atlanta, and fasten your seatbelts.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

~lw3

[shakes]

0% chance i stay awake for this.  Might be the first game I miss in Trae’s career.

Edited January 31, 2023 by shakes

[benhillboy]

Calling all capologists!  
 

With my very novice eye I was looking at the Blazers and Hawks cap situations going forward.  Are they very similar based on the markets and track record of ownership?  I have no idea about the draft capital.  But on the floor and in the standings I’m pretty confident they’ll mirror each other for the foreseeable future.  

Edited January 31, 2023 by benhillboy

[benhillboy]

I’m psyched to see GP2 finally this season.  Most will never know how important he and Otto Porter were to their run last season.  

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Fighting Bol Bols

That a band ? 

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

these young men won’t have to go West again until two games in late March,

Thank goodness. I get tired and I’m out west lol. What, I need my sleep. 

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

60

Not 56…   

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

surprise, Oklahoma City

Go OKC! They got the scrubs tonight! 

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Jusuf Nurkic

Still wouldn’t mind him or Jonas being a Hawk at some point.

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

John Collins for the title of the league’s hottest

He is a sexy man. 

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

The team would like to move on from Nurkic,

Us? @lethalweapon3 if a Bosnian bear falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it does it make a sound? 

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Place your Trae in the upright position,

 You slay us sir! Also you beat me in fantasy basketball! You’re a triple threat huh? Can you sing too? Lol. Thanks @lethalweapon3

Blazers favored by 2 in Vegas! It’s on NBAtv aka national broadcast.

2k Hawks by 16. The three bigs double doubled. Collins with assists and nearly messed around and had a triple double.

Trae was amazing in Portland once again. Not 56 but close. 
 

GO HAWKS!!!!!
 

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, benhillboy said:

I’m psyched to see GP2 finally this season.  Most will never know how important he and Otto Porter were to their run last season.  

Nope. Only scrub fans….  #shotsfired #heat #warriors #benhillboy

[Diesel]

Damn.. No Trae.

 

Let's go Hawks...

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

With no Trae, I really want to see 30 minutes of AJ

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Collins playing like a man possessed.

[dalamchops]

Just now, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Collins playing like a man possessed.

it's funny ppl wanted grant > collins

[Diesel]

Nice Ball movement. 

 

I don't know if Bogi can give us big minutes. 

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Now that's how you shoot the ball Murray. 

 

[Vol4ever]

2 minutes ago, dalamchops said:

it's funny ppl wanted grant > collins

Collins is just better.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Grant will show you in due time, why people wanted him.

[Diesel]

I couldn't listen to the PTL broadcast team tonight, I had to sync in with Steve. 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

That Sharpe dude is so athletic.

( sigh ) - down 8.  Offense died when Young Holiday went out

[Diesel]

Why is Collins on the bench??

 

This should be the game where JC can break out of 30. 

 

[Diesel]

I'm so tired of everytime we play on NBATV or ESPN, that we have to listen to the other team's broadcast. 

[terrell]

Perfect Hawks game. 9-0 run to end the period. This is what we do.

Bogi and Dre have been horrible so far.