Atlanta Hawks 3 keys to victory against the Portland Trail Blazers
The Atlanta Hawks take on the Portland Trail Blazers on the second night of a back-to-back after being totally outplayed by the Utah Jazz
The Atlanta Hawks travel to Oregon to take on the Portland Trail Blazers in the second night of a back-to-back. The Hawks were totally outclassed by the sharp-shooting Utah Jazz last night in a loss they would like to forget in a hurry.
Fortunately, the best way to do that is to play the next game but it does not get any easier for the Hawks. The Blazers are one of the better teams in the Western Conference with a 7-5 record. They are fresh off a 24 point loss themselves to the Indiana Pacers and will be looking to bounce back.
They lost center Jusuf Nurkic on an innocuous-looking play where he took a swipe at a ball and fractured his wrist. He is by far the Blazers best pivot and despite the main scoring punch coming from the Blazers backcourt, the half-court offense runs through the Bosnian Beast
Atlanta Hawks key No. 1) Contain the Blazers backcourt
This job is far easier said than done. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are averaging 54.5 points, 12.1 assists, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game between them. These are incredible numbers for a duo.
If you can stop one of these two then the chances of victory go up for the Hawks. While Trae Young has not been known for his defense, he has started to pressure the player with the ball at every opportunity. He will need to do this all night against the Blazers’ backcourt.
Atlanta Hawks key No. 2) Exploit the pick and roll
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With Nurkic missing the next eight weeks due to the wrist fracture, the Blazers are now very exposed on the pick and roll or the pick and pop. It is likely that Enes Kanter will start and his pick and roll defense is not good. He is going to require either Robert Covington or Derrick Jones Jr. to come and help.
This is the perfect opportunity for Young to get his offense rolling again. With the defensive schemes of the Blazers disrupted with the loss of Nurkic, Young needs to find his rhythm, exploiting seems that may not have been there if Nurkic played.
Atlanta Hawks key No. 3) Key matchup Cam Reddish vs CJ McCollum
As mentioned earlier, McCollum is one of the big two for the Blazers. He is averaging more points per game than Lillard, He is also shooting the 3-ball at 43.8 percent on the season on 11.3 attempts per game.
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Cam Reddish will be tasked with slowing McCollum down. However, the second-year man found his stroke against the Jazz last night in what was one of the few positives out of that game. It is not all about stopping McCollum but also about making him work at the other end of the court as well.