The NBA season continues with games on Monday. The Atlanta Hawks will continue their road trip and take on the Portland Trail Blazers. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Hawks-Blazers prediction and pick.
Both of these teams have had disappointing seasons so far. The Hawks are 16-19 but are coming off a solid win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Blazers are 13-22 and have lost their last four games.
Here are the odds for the Hawks-Blazers Monday night NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Hawks-Blazers Odds
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Atlanta Hawks: -5 (-110)
Portland Trail Blazers: +5 (-110)
Over: 226 (-108)
Under: 226 (-112)
Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread
The Hawks have a deep and talented roster when healthy. Unfortunately, Atlanta has not been close to healthy for most of the season. This has caused them to have a losing record through their first 35 games. The Hawks face an easier opponent on Monday that is also devastated by health woes. This could be just the game that Atlanta needs to start gaining momentum.
The Hawks are coming off a solid victory over the Cavs. Atlanta actually trailed by 15 points at the half before exploding in the second half to secure the much-needed win. Trae Young was the star of the show with 35 points, and he should have his way with a Blazers defense that's absolutely horrid.
With that said, the biggest determinant in this game is COVID. The Hawks have been crippled by COVID. Currently, the Hawks have five players in the league's health and safety protocols. Headlining the unavailable players is John Collins. However, this is actually a huge improvement for Atlanta. Ahead of Monday's match, six Hawks exited the league's health and safety protocols. Atlanta will look to use returning players immediately to start turning things around.
Why The Blazers Could Cover The Spread
The Blazers have surprisingly been one of the worst teams in the NBA. Portland has lost its last four games, with the most recent defeat coming at the hands of the Lakers by a whopping 33 points. As this team battles with the Hawks, they are also battling key health problems.
The Blazers were just absolutely demolished by the Lakers. Los Angeles has been struggling a lot, so losing to them by so much was not pretty. Portland struggled on both ends of the ball, giving up a ridiculous 139 points while shooting just 35.3% from the field. The Blazers' defense has been abysmal all season and now ranks as the worst in the NBA.
While Portland has indeed struggled all season, health issues are also playing a role of late. The Blazers will be without both Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in this game because of injuries. On top of that, Jusuf Nurkic and Cody Zeller are both doubtful for Monday's contest. These injuries leave the Blazers with a shell of their usual team. It will be very tough for them to make this game competitive, so other guys will have to step up in order to at least cover.
Final Hawks-Blazers Prediction & Pick
This is a pretty easy pick. While the Hawks are certainly impacted by COVID and injuries, the Blazers are crippled. With the recent unavailability of Damian Lillard, the Blazers will struggle to even keep this game close. The Hawks should be able to get the win by a large margin and should have no problem covering. Pick Atlanta to win and cover and get ready to watch some poor Portland basketball.
FINAL HAWKS-BLAZERS PICK: Atlanta Hawks -5 (-110)
FINAL HAWKS-BLAZERS SCORE PREDICTION: Hawks 115 – Blazers 97
Follow Us
Subscribe
