Trail Blazers vs Hawks Predictions & Odds (Mar. 3)

• The Trail Blazers hit the road for a matchup with the Hawks on Friday
• Portland is just 3-7 in their last 10 games
• Find the odds and Trail Blazers vs Hawks prediction, below

The Portland Trail Blazers (29-33, 12-18 away) head down South on Friday for the beginning of a six-game road trip as they clash with the Atlanta Hawks (31-31, 17-13 home) in a cross-conference matchup. The tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET at State Farm Arena. Continue reading for the Trail Blazers vs Hawks prediction.

The Blazers have dropped back-to-back contests, most recently losing to the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday in an important matchup for the play-in race, where they currently sit a game and a half out of the 10th spot in the NBA playoff bracket. As for the Hawks, they fell to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday in Quin Snyder’s first game as the new head coach.

Trail Blazers vs Hawks Odds

The Hawks are a 7-point favorite for this matchup with heavy moneyline odds of -300. They’ve only covered in 44.3% of their games this season. Portland meanwhile sits at +250 for an implied win probability of 28.57% and owns an ATS underdog record of 15-17. This is the second meeting of 2022-23 between the two, with the Blazers beating Atlanta in January.

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Odds as of March 2nd at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Portland on the Outside Looking in

The Blazers definitely improved their roster last offseason, drafting Shaedon Sharpe and trading for Jerami Grant in the hope of surrounding Damian Lillard with more talent. Unfortunately, it hasn’t made much of a difference. Portland sits on the outside looking in and at this point, the play-in tournament is their best-case scenario, especially because the schedule ahead features numerous contests against contenders.

Wednesday’s defeat to the Pels definitely hurt, with Chauncey Billups’ squad slipping up in the fourth quarter and failing to lock down defensively, a common storyline all season long. They were outscored 31-19 in the final period, with Brandon Ingram torching Portland for 40 points, canceling out Damian Lillard’s 41-point performance.

undeniable. #RipCity pic.twitter.com/zokJODCncW

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 2, 2023

Lillard didn’t get much support either, with Jerami Grant’s 28 points about the only other bright spot. To make matter worse, Anfernee Simons returned from a two-week absence and re-aggravated his ankle injury. Far from ideal considering he’s one of their top producers outside of Dame. With minimal time left in the campaign, the Blazers must start winning games in a hurry, going 3-7 in their last 10 outings.

New Era in Atlanta

The Hawks went in a new direction a couple of weeks ago, firing Nate McMillan, the same coach who led them to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. Between their underwhelming season and the growing tension with Trae Young, Atlanta decided to make a change. They’ve brought in a very good replacement though in Snyder, a savvy basketball mind who led the Utah Jazz to the playoffs in six of his eight years in charge.

But, his new journey in Georgia didn’t get off to the greatest start earlier this week, with the Hawks falling to .500 after losing to the Wizards, a team right on their heels in the play-in. Atlanta went ice cold down the stretch and while Trae dropped 31, he was just 1 for 8 in the fourth quarter, struggling to score when it mattered most.

Saddiq & Bogi providing that spark ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/XZqrGmNCki

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 1, 2023

Backcourt mate Dejounte Murray was held to just 15 points on 7 for 18 shooting from the field but on a more positive note, the entire starting five finished in double-figures. It just came down to a lack of defensive solidity in the final period and minimal production on the opposite end of the floor. After all, it was Snyder’s first game with his new team after getting hired just 48 hours prior.

Trail Blazers vs Hawks Prediction

In recent years, this has been a very back-and-forth matchup. Even though the Blazers aren’t in great shape right now, seven points feels a bit steep for a Hawks team who is still getting accustomed to their new boss. Plus, Atlanta has one of the worst ATS records in the league. Take Portland with the points.

Pick: Blazers +7 (-110)