The NBA tops the list Monday night with a matchup between two teams battling for playoff contention. The Atlanta Hawks (25-25) will make the cross-country trip to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers (23-26). Check out our NBA odds series for our prediction and selection of the Hawks-Trail Blazers.
The Atlanta Hawks are eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. With a .500 record, the Hawks are looking to start this road trip strong and pick up a win to put them back above the middle mark. They had no answer for their latest time out for a budding Clippers team led by Kawhi Leonard. They will look to limit Damian Lillard’s offense and smother the Moda Center against the Trail Blazers.
The Portland Trail Blazers look at the Western Conference rankings from the outside. In 12th place, they’re just outside the playoffs and need to win a few games before the All-Star break to improve their position. With Damian Lillard hot on the heels of a career achievement, the Trail Blazers are well positioned to pick up some wins and move closer to a steady .500 with a win here tonight.
Here are the Hawks-Trail Blazers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Hawks-Trail Blazers Odds
Atlanta Hawks: +2 (-106)
Portland Trailblazer: -2 (-114)
Over: 236.5 (-110)
Below: 236.5 (-110)
How to watch Hawks vs. Trail Blazers
TV: NBA TV
Stream: fuboTV, NBA League Pass
Time: 10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Why the Hawks could cover the spread
The Atlanta Hawks are looking to improve to 2-3 in the last five after losing a few games. They’ve been keeping things tight on their recent losses but would love to see more of those Ls turn into Ws. The addition of Bogdan Bogdanovic has helped the Hawks with their versatility, but it hasn’t done much since he’s not the efficient scorer he was in Sacramento. Trae Young and Dejounte Murray’s backcourt tandem continues to be a problem for their opponents, especially when the two play basketball for free.
Atlanta wasn’t the best at covering the span, going just 21-28 overall. Their home/away spread is about the same as they are a consistent team regardless of the arena. Trae Young especially finds luck playing in opposing arenas, and he needs his teammates to have the same luck if they want to race. The Hawks need to hit the ball successfully to negate breakouts from Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers.
Why the Trail Blazers could cover the spread
Damian Lillard is coming off a game in which he scored 60 points and was historically efficient in a win over rival Utah Jazz. He has emerged as one of the purest goalscorers of our generation and has been the driving force behind the Trail Blazers’ relevance for quite some time. As always, the MODA Center will be packed on Monday night as Blazers fans watch their hero Lillard pull in another outstanding performance.
The Trail Blazers performed well at home with 14-10 ATS. They have the same record as the favorites, so it looks like a good play for the Trail Blazers to cover the range. They also scored a lot of points and saw their totals skim. With Jusuf Nurkic questionable for that case, the Trail Blazers need to make good shots and focus on rebounding the basketball in their big man’s absence.
Final Hawks-Trail Blazers Prediction & Selection
Trae Young is listed as questionable for this game. While Dejounte Murray is more than able to carry the load, when Dame Lillard performs well it can be too much. I love the Trail Blazers getting this win as we look at another Lillard masterpiece.
Final Hawks-Trail Blazers Prediction & Selection: Portland Trail Blazers -2 (-114)
