The Atlanta Hawks enter the second game of a west coast road trip on a bad note.
The team lost on Sunday 89-76 to the Los Angeles Clippers and have dropped two games in a row. The Hawks struggled offensively and only scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.
"I thought our guys followed our game plan for 2 1/2 quarters. But midway into the third, it was like we totally forgot what had put us in the position we were in and we abandoned it," coach Larry Drew said, according to the Associated Press.
Josh Smith has been one of the lone bright spots for the team this season and scored a team-high 13 points in the loss. Smith has scored 13.8 points and grabbed seven rebounds this season. Al Horford added 11 points and is leading the team with eight rebounds per game.
Atlanta has struggled offensively in the past few games, but has a chance to rebound against a Portland team that is one of the worst in the league, allowing 109.7 points over a three game losing streak.
"We've just got to be more deliberate, more attention to detail in some of our coverages and we've got to get back to work," coach Terry Stotts said.
The Blazers have struggled defensively all season and is ranked only 23rd in rebounds per game. LaMarcus Aldridge has been excellent for Portland all season, averaging 21.8 points, 7.3 boards and 3.8 assists. Aldridge was an All-Star caliber player last season and is averaging career highs in points and rebounds.
Portland had a chance to win on Saturday against the first-place San Antonio Spurs, but couldn't keep a 14-point lead an fell 112-109. Aldridge scored 29 points while center Nicolas Batum scored 33.
"For a young team, one of the hardest things is to learn how to win games late," said Aldridge. "I think that's the transition we're going through right now."
The team is ranked ninth in points per game with 98 and has benefited from the play of rookie Damian Lillard, who has been a welcome surprise for the Trail Blazers.
The rookie from Weber State was the sixth overall pick in the draft and is only the second player since Oscar Robertson to start his career with three straight games of 20 points and seven assists, according to the Associated Press.
The Blazers are only 1-2 at home on the season and have lost three of the past four games. According to the Associated Press, "Atlanta hasn't dropped three straight in the regular season since Feb. 18-22."
