The Atlanta Hawks-Portland Trail Blazers game has a game total of 237 across sportsbooks, but there are a few game-impacting players who might be inactive. The Hawks could be without Trae Young, who is dealing with a sore ankle and the Blazers could be without Jusuf Nurkic and Josh Hart as both missed their previous game with lower-body injuries. Remember, this game starts at 10 pm ET and we may not know if any of these three players are in or out until an hour before the game begins. This will be the first of two matchups between these two teams this season and the pace favors the Blazers tonight and both squads are coming off losses. Here are a few players we can rely on for DFS NBA showdown lineups for later tonight.  

 

NBA Injury Report:

Atlanta Hawks Injuries:

Portland Trail Blazers Injuries:

NBA DFS Showdown Picks

MVP/Captain: 

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Lillard is scoring 30 points per game and has scored no fewer than 30 points in three straight contests and even though the Hawks are good at guarding guards, Lillard has been hot shooting from the field and should be in line for another 17-20 shots and if Jusuf Nurkic and/or Josh Hart sits, he’ll have to handle more of the offensive burden. He’s shot at least 50 percent from the field in three straight contests. Lillard has posted three double-doubles in his last five games and the pace of play favors Lillard in this matchup. He's also stolen the ball four times combined over his last three games and sits with a usage percentage nearing 33. The spread on this game is just two and there should be a lot of points scored and he should be looking at around 40 minutes of action once again as he’s hit the 40-minute mark in three of his last five matchups.

Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks

If Trae Young doesn’t play, Murray becomes a critical captain option, but with the Blazers' mid-court also hurt, he’s a bit more appealing as trips to the basket should come a lot easier and Jerami Grant will have to keep an eye on John Collins tonight. Murray is a four-category consistent producer, and he should be looking at between 35-40 minutes of action this evening. He’s shot 46 percent from the floor and has taken no fewer than 17 shots in any game over the last two weeks. If Young sits, Murray will run the point more boosting his assist ceiling. He can be relied on to grab rebounds and has posted six or more boards in four of his last six games. He’s also stolen the ball 1.6 times per game and he’s even blocked shots in both of his last two contests. If Young sits, Murray should take around 20 shots this evening. If Young plays, we may be able to get Murray at lower ownership for the captain spot. 

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

We can’t just eliminate Young from the captain conversation just because he’s questionable and if he plays, he’ll take command of the Hawks offense as he always does, and he isn’t coming off a missed game due to injury. Young has posted four straight double-doubles and back-to-back games of 31 points or more. If Young suits up, he’ll be looking at 20 shots from the field or more and he’s been more helpful on the glass lately grabbing at least 3 rebounds in 4 straight contests with 2 of those games being five-board games. Young hasn’t shot lower than 40 percent from the field in each of his last eight games and he has a 33 percent usage rate. Let’s also not forget that he averages around one steal per outing and with the Blazers having health issues in the post, he should look to rely less on his three-point shooting and focus more on driving the lane. 

Utility

Clint Capela, Atlanta Hawks

If Young does sit out tonight, Capela becomes an intriguing possibility to shift up to captain because the Blazers' low-post defense is horrible. They rank 27th in the league at covering centers and Capela has posted three straight double-doubles against poor interior defenses and he can do a lot of damage against a banged-up Jusuf Nurkic, or a soft Drew Eubanks if Nurkic sits. Capela has scored at least 12 points in four straight battles, and he blocked shots and grabbed steals in every game during that span. He’s produced three multi-steal games in his last four and his minutes can be trusted as well as he’s played no fewer than 28 minutes in three straight battles. Capela usually doesn’t take a lot of shots but seeing him hit double figures in shot attempts in two of his last four matchups is very encouraging because the Blazers are very weak at defending the middle of the paint. He’s a must-start for the showdown tonight.

Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers

John Collins has been an ineffective defender and the Hawks are a bottom-three team at covering power forwards. If one of Jusuf Nurkic and/or Josh Hart sits again, Grant will be forced to take more shots. He’s shot over 47 percent in both of his last 2 games and has scored no fewer than 19 points in four of his last five battles. Grant shoots nearly 49 percent from the floor and over 42 percent from beyond the arc. John Collins isn’t a quick mover and Grant will have him chasing him all over the court as he weaves his way to different parts of the arc to get higher-percentage shots. Grant has also blocked shots in three straight outings and stole the ball in three of his last four battles. He’s upped his rebounding lately slightly as well, pulling down five or more boards in three of his last five games.  Grant should be looking at 15-18 shots tonight and could come close to hitting the 20-shot mark if both Nurkic and Hart sit again this evening. 

Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers

We’ll have to see if Josh Hart plays, but if he doesn’t Simons will be taking more shots tonight and should be looking at around 20 this evening. It’s a pace boost for Simons who has shot at least 58 percent from the field in three of his last four battles and if Trae Young sits, the Hawks' strong backcourt defense won’t be as effective, and Dejounte Murray will have to shadow Damian Lillard all night giving Simons the softer matchup and he should be able to take advantage. Besides scoring 21.6 points per game, Simons has also dropped four dimes per matchup and has contributed 13 assists combined in his last two games. He’s even posted swipes in two of his last three matchups. Simons is a reliable outside shooter as well and will be featured a lot from the arc if Hart doesn’t play because when Lillard opts to drive the lane, the Hawks' defense will collapse on him leaving the arc open for Simons to take high-percentage three-pointers. Simons sees a usage bump of over six percent when Hart doesn’t play. 

Jusuf Nurkic & Drew Eubanks, Portland Trail Blazers

Calf injuries can be tricky and it’s still uncertain whether we see Nurkic take the floor after being absent for the Blazers' last game. If Nurkic doesn’t play, Drew Eubanks (his backup) draws another start and should play around 30 minutes in this matchup. Eubanks has pulled down double-digit rebounds in two of his last four games. The Hawks rank 23rd in the league at covering centers and Nurkic and Eubanks should be able to muscle down Clint Capela in the post. If Nurkic sits, Eubanks becomes a prime value play. If we find out that Nurkic is on a minute’s limit, that will still put Eubanks in play tonight. Nurkic has grabbed 10 or more boards in three of his last five matchups and with the pace favoring Portland, if Nurkic plays, he should take 10 or more shots. If he sits, it’ll be easy to get Eubanks in your DFS lineups because of how cheap he is. 

Dart Throws 

De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks

Hunter will benefit big time if Young doesn’t play, but even if he does, the Blazers' mid-court being hurt could benefit Hunter who regularly takes 10 or more shots. He’s posted 29 DraftKings points or more in each of his last 3 battles and has taken no fewer than 11 shots in any game and if Young sits, he’ll take between 15-20 shots. When Young sits, Hunter’s usage rises 5.5 percent. He’s shot at least 60 percent from the field in 3 of his last 5 games and he’s hit multiple three-pointers in 3 straight contests. Hunter will help on the glass a bit and he’s even produced steals in two of his last three contests. The shots should be there tonight for him and if Josh Hart doesn’t play, he should have more room to create at the elbow and work his way inside to produce some points in the paint. 

Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta Hawks

Bogdanovic sees a minor usage bump if Young sits and because he has hit double figures in shot attempts in five of his last six games, he’s in play tonight especially if Young is inactive. He’ll certainly see more time bringing up the ball as well as boosting his assist ceiling. Bogdanovic has provided three or more assists in five of his last six battles. He scores over 15 points per game and has shot at least 50 percent from the field in 3 of his last 4. Bogdanovic has been producing more steals lately as well posting swipes in five of his last six games. He should play close to 30 minutes tonight; if Young sits, he should be on the floor for more than 30 minutes.  

 

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