The Portland Trail Blazers entered Tuesday’s game at the Atlanta Hawks with three starters out, including point guard Anfernee Simons, and little hope of earning a play-in berth.
Also sitting were two key backups, including point guard Scoot Henderson.
Yet, the Blazers played with the fire one would have expected from the Hawks, who had more to play for, and won 127-113 at State Farm Arena.
Blazers coach Chauncey Billups started Dalano Banton in place of Simons. Banton struggled, shooting 4 of 15 from the field for 11 points. But he added five assists, seven rebounds and four blocked shots, while effectively running the offense.
That helped Deni Avdija shine once again. He scored 32 points with 15 rebounds and 10 assists, producing his second career triple-double. Avdija shot 11 of 21 from the field, but committed seven turnovers.
Shaedon Sharpe poured in 33 points with 10 rebounds and Toumani Camara added 18 points.
But the story of the game could be the Blazers’ defense. The Hawks, who entered the night ranked second in the NBA in points per game (117.9), averaged 123.2 during the month of March.
Portland Trail Blazers v Atlanta Hawks
Caris LeVert #3 of the Atlanta Hawks drives against Deni Avdija #8 and Matisse Thybulle #4 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the first quarter at State Farm Arena on April 01, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)Getty Images
But the Blazers held them in check for much of the night. Atlanta shot 44.6% from the field but connected on just 7 of 32 three-point attempts (21.9%).
“We did a really good job,” Billups told reporters. “I thought our pressure was good.”
The Blazers shot just 31.7% from three-point range (13 of 41) but made up for that with 32 second-chance points (Atlanta had 15) off 19 offensive rebounds. Portland out-rebounded the Hawks 54-45.
“I wanted us to stay locked in on our offensive rebounding,” Billups said. “I thought we could have a big night against them, and we did.”
Sharpe and Advdija each scored 16 points in the first half, helping the Blazers build a 57-54 halftime lead.
“I love how we played the entire night,” Billups said. “We talked about how important it was to get off to a good start.”
The Blazers led by as much as 18 in the third quarter, where they shot 53.6% from the field and hit 5 of 11 three-point attempts to build a 97-84 lead entering the fourth.
“I thought we had a pretty good first half, but we talked about taking care of the ball,” Billups said. “Gotta take care of the ball. They were scoring a ton in transition on us.”
The Blazers allowed nine fast-break points in the second half after giving up 16 in the first half.
In the fourth quarter, the Hawks predictably made a run and trailed 104-100 with 8:19 remaining.
But the Blazers pushed their lead to 120-105 with 4:14 to go when center Donovan Clingan put back Banton’s missed three-pointer, was fouled, and converted the three-point play.
“They made some runs but we were able to stay composed,” Camara told reporters.
Hawks point guard Trae Young scored 29 points and added 15 assists. Guard Dyson Daniels scored 22 and had 10 rebounds.
Trail Blazers Hawks Basketball
Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) drives against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) APAP
WHAT IT MEANS
The Blazers (33-43) have little hope of earning a play-in berth in the Western Conference, but they moved to within 3½ games of the 10th-place Sacramento Kings (36-39), off Tuesday.
The 11th-place Phoenix Suns (35-41) lost 133-122 to the Milwaukee Bucks (41-34).
The Hawks (36-39) fell into a tie with Orlando (37-40) for seventh in the Eastern Conference after the Magic defeated the San Antonio Spurs.
NEXT UP
The Blazers play at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Toronto Raptors.
-- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)