Hawks Return Home to Face Trail Blazers Before Road Test in Dallas

Atlanta returns to State Farm Arena tonight for a one-game homestand against the Portland Trail Blazers before heading to Dallas to take on the Mavericks tomorrow (April 2). The Hawks have been dominant at home against Portland, winning five straight matchups, while averaging 124.6 points, 43.6 rebounds, and 29.4 assists in those victories. They’ve outscored the Blazers by an average margin of 12.4 points per game during that stretch.

Atlanta is coming off a 145-124 road win over Milwaukee on March 30, marking the team’s highest-scoring regulation game since November. With that victory, the Hawks closed out March with a 9-5 record (.643%), their most wins in a single month since March 2022 (11 wins). It also marked the second time this season they’ve posted a .600-or-better winning percentage in a month, a feat they last achieved in 2015-16.

Zaccharie Risacher continued his impressive rookie campaign in Milwaukee, dropping a career-high 36 points along with six rebounds and one steal in 35 minutes. The No. 1 overall pick became just the 10th teenager in NBA history to score at least 36 points in a single game, setting a new franchise record as the youngest Hawk ever to accomplish the feat. It was his third 30-point outing of the season, the most by any rookie this year. He has also knocked down at least five three-pointers in each of his 30-point performances, tying Anthony Edwards (2020-21) for the most such games by a teenager in NBA history.

Risacher’s strong March saw him average 16.3 points on .533 FG%, .393 3FG%, and .739 FT%, along with 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 27.0 minutes per game. He was the only rookie to average at least 16.0 points on 50% shooting this month and the only player in the NBA to do so while meeting .530/.390/.730 shooting splits (min. 10 games played). Since January 30, Risacher has been shooting .522% from the field, ranking seventh in the league over that span (min. 290 FGA). Teammate Dyson Daniels isn’t far behind, ranking 10th in FG% (.517) since January 30.

Daniels also etched his name in the Hawks’ record books during the win over Milwaukee, setting a new franchise record for most steals in a single season. With five steals in the game, he recorded his 213th of the season, surpassing Mookie Blaylock (212, 3x). Daniels now has 89 more steals than the next closest player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (124), a gap as large as the one between Gilgeous-Alexander and the players ranked 229th in the league in steals this season. Daniels also hit a major defensive milestone by recording his 400th deflection, making him the first player since the NBA began tracking deflections to reach that mark in a single season.

Meanwhile, Trae Young played the role of facilitator in the victory, finishing with 19 points, 19 assists, three rebounds, and two steals in 37 minutes. With his 13th assist of the night, Young passed Mookie Blaylock (789, 1993-94) for the second-most assists in a single season in franchise history. His 19-assist performance was his 15th game this season with 15+ assists, the most by any player in the NBA this year.

The Hawks will look to keep their home dominance against Portland alive before shifting their focus to Dallas for Tuesday’s matchup against the Mavericks.

Stay tuned…