Hawks Fall to Blazers As Portland Gets Big Nights From Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija

Rebounding, turnovers, and poor three-point shooting were the culprits tonight behind the Hawks' loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, a game the Hawks were favored to win. This is the third loss in the last four games for the Hawks, and they have seven left in the season. Portland beat up the Hawks on the glass, forced turnovers, and scored 32 second chance points tonight in their 127-113 victory.

It was an ugly night for the Hawks on offense, shooting 44% from the field and 22% (7-32) from three, as well as committing 19 turnovers which Portland scored 23 points off of. While the three-point shooting and the turnovers were a big problem, the rebounding was arguably the biggest reason the Hawks lost. Portland outrebounded the Hawks 54-45, including 19 offensive rebounds for the Blazers. Portland shot the ball 11 more times than the Hawks and hit six more threes as well. When you lose the possession battle and the three-point battle, it almost guarantees a loss.

Trae Young scored 29 points (7-20 shooting) and handed out 15 assists, Dyson Daniels had 22 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals. No other Hawk had more than 13 points. It was a rough night for Zaccharie Risacher, who scored just nine points one game after setting his career high against Milwaukee. The Hawks bench was mostly non-existent tonight, as none of Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, Vit Krejci, Terance Mann, or Dominick Barlow were particularly effective.

It was not a particularly effective night for Portland shooting the ball, as they went 46% from the field and 32% from three. They did get big nights from Shaedon Sharpe (33 points and 10 rebounds) and Deni Avdija (32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists) though, as well as Toumani Camara scoring 18 points.

With the loss, the Hawks now fall to 36-39 this season and they will look to get back to winning quickly when they head to Dallas to face the Mavericks tomorrow night.

The Hawks starting lineup had no changes from Sunday. Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Mouhamed Gueye, and Onyeka Okongwu were the first five on the floor for the Hawks.

It was a hot start for both offenses in the first quarter, with Portland hitting their six of their first ten shots and getting an early 17-16 lead. It was an active start for Risacher, who had seven early points. The Hawks defense was causing chaos early in the game, led by the Great Barrier Thief, Dyson Daniels. The Hawks forced eight turnovers in the first quarter, seven of them being steals, and they scored nine points off of them. The Blazers had a slight advantage at the three-point line though that kept them in it early, along with Deni Avdija. The Hawks were 2-10 from three while the Blazers were 4-9. Atlanta led 27-26 going into the next quarter.