Damian Lillard (42 points) continues against the Hawks

Losing Trae Young, the Hawks held the shock after ten minutes (25-23), but Portland gained speed and created a first gap (31-23) at the end of the first quarter.

With 15 points scored at the beginning of the second quarter, Damian Lillard is in good shape. Atlanta’s defense has so far been unable to find a solution to neutralize him. Nate McMillan’s men still hold the shock of being behind by only five points in the middle of the second quarter (47-42). Thanks to a big Dejounte Murray, author of 20 points, Atlanta returned to the locker room only four points behind (64-60).

In the third quarter, the gap stabilized between four and eight points in favor of Portland. The Blazers have been hot on 3-pointers since the start of the game. A good address that still hasn’t fallen. On the contrary, Bogdan Bogdanovic woke up and allowed Atlanta to get back to two points (91-89). Again, Portland finished the quarter better to make up a small gap (99-92).

The Blazers even got a ten-point lead at the start of the 4th quarter (104-94). With a basket from De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta again reduced the gap to six points (111-105). Following Josh Hart’s foul on Dejounte Murray’s 3-point shot, the Hawks took advantage of three free throws that allowed them to get back within two points (119-117). Murray tied with two new free throws (119-119). Anfernee Simons allowed her team to regain a three-point lead (124-121).

It all came from a foul by Gary Payton II on a long-range shot by Bogdanovic. The Serb has three shots to tie. He put up just one, and Portland eventually won 129-125.

WHAT YOU SHOULD REMEMBER

– Damian Lillard is still a scorer. Player Of The Week, he confirmed his final cards with 42 points and a perfect 5 of 12 from 3-point range. In a tight end game, his aggressiveness made the difference going an impeccable 17 of 17 on free throws.

– Trae Young is out. Surprise in-between because Trae Young is not in uniform. Sprained ankle, Hawks leader leaves team keys to Dejounte Murray. He missed the regular second scorer for the Hawks to grab the win.

THE MATCH NUMBER

– 0. This is the first time, since statistics are taken into account, that two players (Damian Lillard and Dejounte Murray) in the same match reached 40 points without losing a ball!

TOPS/FLOPS

✅ Damian Lillard. A performance consistent with his heavy January, and his rivalry with Dejounte Murray was worth the trip. All without losing the ball!

✅ Dejounte Murray. Without Trae Young, he played the role of boss with a high-class performance: 40 points on 13/26 shooting including 5/8 from 3-pointers but 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals.

✅Jerami Grant. A solid game from him with big contributions on defense and offense: 22 points on 4/9 from 3-pointers.

✅ Anfernee Simons. The best of Anfernee Simons with skill, and key baskets at the end of the game: 21 points on 8/12 shooting including 5/8 on 3-pointers

⛔️ De’Andre Hunter. A game to forget (3/14 shooting) when Dejounte Murray needed some support.

THE FOLLOWING

Blazers (24-26): travel to the Grizzlies overnight from Wednesday to Thursday (01:00).

Hawks (25-26): travel to the Suns overnight from Wednesday to Thursday (04:00).