The Portland Trail Blazers can't afford to lose games to the teams in the league's bottom echelon if they want to remain in contention for the playoffs in the Western Conference. But they aren't likely to get a light touch on Saturday when they make their only visit of the season to Atlanta.

The Hawks have won only 18 games, one more than Eastern Conference cellar dwellers New York and Cleveland. However, Atlanta has emerged as a competitive team on its home court. The Hawks have won seven of their last nine games at home, which includes wins over playoff teams Philadelphia and Miami.

The Hawks hammered the Brooklyn Nets 141-118 on Friday night to give them some momentum into the second half of a back-to-back. They have yet to win both ends of a back-to-back this season, going 0-3 in the second game when they've won the first night.

"We've all been putting in a ton of work in practice, extra work on our jump shots and defense," Atlanta rookie Cam Reddish said. "But to see our shots go down was a great feeling."

Reddish had a career-high 26 points on Friday and has continued to develop as an offensive threat. John Collins scored 33 points with 13 rebounds, and Trae Young had 22 points and 14 assists. The lopsided win allowed Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce the luxury of limiting Young only 31 minutes.

"It was a real example of all our guys trending in the right direction," Pierce said. "To put together that type of win was really encouraging to see."

Portland comes into the game in 10th place in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers have won only three of their last 10 games and trail Memphis by 2 1/2 games in the quest for the final playoff spot. Portland dropped a 106-100 decision to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, the first stop on a three-game road trip.

"That was a tough loss for us, but we fought," Portland's Carmelo Anthony said. "The first game on a road trip is always important, but we still have a chance to go get two more on this road trip, so that's what we're looking forward to."

"We already understand the position we're in," Trevor Ariza added. "I think we've just got to figure it out. It sounds easy, but it's not. We have the personnel in here to do it. We've got to continue to stay confident, stay together and chip away."

C.J. McCollum, who scored 28 in the loss to Indiana, averages 22 points per game. Anthony continues his remarkable comeback season and averages 15.5 points and 6.4 rebounds. Hassan Whiteside averages 15.9 points and 14.2 rebounds.

Damian Lillard, who averages a team-leading 29.5 points, has missed the last four games with a right groin injury, but could return before the end of the road trip.

Portland has won four consecutive games against the Hawks dating back to Jan. 5, 2018. The Blazers won the first game in the season series 124-113 on Nov. 10. Lillard scored 30 points in the first meeting, while Young had 35 points and 10 assists in the first meeting.

--Field Level Media