Trail Blazers at Hawks
The Eastern Conference has been anything but kind to the Portland Trail Blazers, who have lost eight of nine games against East competition heading into the fourth game of a five-game road trip Monday at the Atlanta Hawks. Portland has dropped three in a row following Sunday’s 116-109 loss in Miami, in which the Trail Blazers blew a double-digit second-half lead and leading scorer Damian Lillard aggravated a plantar fasciitis injury in his left heel.
“You see I finished the game,” Lillard told reporters after scoring 32 points in a losing effort, raising his average to 24.6 – seventh in the NBA. “I’m not really worried about it.” The Hawks also were in Florida on Sunday, beating Orlando 103-100 for their third straight victory – Atlanta’s longest winning streak since winning seven in a row earlier this season. Forward Kyle Korver, who led the NBA in 3-point shooting each of the past two seasons, scored a team-high 19 points and hit a season-high six from beyond the arc, including the go-ahead basket with 43.6 seconds left.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (11-18): Portland gave up 64 points on 63.9 percent shooting in the second half, and did not force a turnover in the fourth quarter as Miami sent the Trail Blazers to their eighth loss in 12 games. Lillard has been outstanding, scoring 29 or more points three times in the past five games and is getting strong support from guard C.J. McCollum, who is averaging 22.7 points in his past seven games. The Trail Blazers are 10th in the NBA in opponents' 3-point shooting (33.7 percent), but allowed Miami to hit 12-of-23 shots from beyond the arc Sunday.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (17-12): Korver appears to be rediscovering his touch from long range after a cold stretch, hitting 9-of-16 3-point attempts during Atlanta’s winning streak, and the Hawks made 11-of-22 shots from 3-point range against Orlando. Forward Paul Millsap leads Atlanta in scoring (18 points) and rebounding (9.1), recording his 12th double-double of the season Sunday with 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Hawks are averaging 113 points per game in their past three contests, after scoring 86.7 points in losing their previous three games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Portland is 1-6 in the second of back-to-back games this season; Atlanta is 4-3.
2. Lillard not playing would be newsworthy: the two-time All-Star has not missed a game in his NBA career, playing in 275 consecutive contests.
3. Atlanta PG Jeff Teague scored 14 points in 27 minutes Sunday, two days after sitting out the final 16 minutes of the Hawks’ victory at Boston with a twisted ankle.