The Atlanta Hawks (20-22) make the long trip west to take on the Portland Trail Blazers (19-22) on Thursday night. Both teams are hovering around the .500 mark and battling for positioning in their respective conference play-in races, making this a critical midseason showdown at Moda Center in Portland. Both teams are dealing with some injury issues going into this game. Who will overcome them to get the win? Find out below as I make my Hawks vs Trail Blazers prediction in the NBA.
Our Hawks vs Trail Blazers Pick
Pick:
Trail Blazers +4.5 ATS PRO
Confidence:
1/5
Game Snapshot
Matchup: Atlanta Hawks @ Portland Trail Blazers
Date & Time: January 15, 2026, 10:00 PM ET
Venue: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Broadcast: NBA League Pass
Key Storylines
The Hawks traded veteran guard Trae Young earlier this month, adding C.J. McCollum and Corey Kispert in a move that has already resulted in McCollum scoring 25 points in his second game with Atlanta. This roster shift is still settling in but Atlanta comes into this game knowing that McCollum is more than capable of scoring in bunches for them.
Atlanta’s latest game was a lopsided 141-116 loss to the Lakers, where the Hawks struggled defensively. That was particularly evident in the second quarter, where the Lakers torched them. Injuries have impacted Atlanta's roster, with Kristaps Porzingis and Zaccharie Risacher out, and Luke Kennard listed as questionable for this game.
The Trail Blazers have significant injury concerns of their own. Deni Avdija was upgraded to doubtful after missing time with a back issue, while Scoot Henderson, Matisse Thybulle, Kris Murray, Blake Wesley, and Damian Lillard are out, with Jerami Grant questionable. The Blazers' thin rotation could hinder Portland’s ability to win on their home floor here.
Both of these teams enter this game just a handful of games below the .500 mark for the season. They are both in ninth place in the standings in their respective conferences, but only one of them can get a win here. Wins in games like this one are so important to the playoff aspirations of teams like the Blazers and Hawks.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
This is the first regular-season meeting of the year between the Hawks and Trail Blazers.
Portland enters Thursday night with a 22-19 record against the spread.
Atlanta is 21-21 against the spread so far this year.
The over is 22-20 in Hawks games to this point in the season.
The Trail Blazers are 21-20 to the over going into this game.
Hawks vs Trail Blazers Model Projection
Score Projection: Hawks 116 – Blazers 114 ATS PRO
Win Probability: Hawks 51%, Blazers 49% ATS PRO
Final Thoughts
It's hard to feel confident in either of these teams right now, given that they are both dealing with plenty of adversity impacting their roster continuity. Still, I'll take the points with the Portland Trail Blazers at home in this matchup, as they should be able to disrupt an Atlanta offense that is still figuring things out post-Trae Young trade.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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