Trail Blazers at Hawks
The slumping Portland Trail Blazers are finding it hard to pick up wins without injured star Damian Lillard. They'll have to go at least one more game without the high-scoring guard when they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
Portland is 1-3 since Lillard, who entered Friday ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring (29.5), went down with a groin issue, and the five-time All-Star is already ruled out for this one. CJ McCollum is doing his best to fill the void and is averaging 31 points and 10 assists in those four games, including 28 and eight in a 106-100 loss at Indiana to begin the three-game road trip. "It felt like it was a winnable game, that's for sure," McCollum, whose team is 2 1/2 games out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference, told reporters. "We had a chance." The Hawks improved to 3-2 since the All-Star break with a 141-116 rout of the Brooklyn Nets at home Friday night, and Atlanta's five starters combined for 114 points while making 17-of-31 3-pointers as the squad improved to 12-18 at home.
TIME: 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: NBCS Northwest, FS Southeast
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (26-34): Portland led by nine points early in the third quarter at Indiana and took some pride in pushing the Pacers to the finish line without their leader. "I thought we played a really good game," coach Terry Stotts told reporters. "Defensively, for the most part, we were solid." Stotts told the media Thursday that there was a chance for Lillard to rejoin the team on the trip, which concludes Monday in Orlando.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (18-43): Forward John Collins led the charge Friday with 33 points on 11-of-15 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds for his ninth double-double in the last 14 games. All-Star guard Trae Young chipped in 22 points and 14 assists while rookie Cam Reddish continued his recent surge with a career-high 26 points while making 6-of-9 3-pointers. The 20-year-old is averaging 17 points over his last six games and has scored in double figures in 13 of his last 14 to push his average to 10 points per game.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Trail Blazers C Hassan Whiteside has eight straight double-doubles.
2. Hawks SF De'Andre Hunter entered Friday averaging 4.2 rebounds, but he has 21 over his last two games.
3. Portland has won four straight meetings, including a 124-113 home win on Nov. 10.