Deandre Ayton’s status revealed for tonight’s match

The Atlanta Hawks and the Portland Trail Blazers face off tonight and the Blazers just revealed the playing status of center Deandre Ayton. Ayton had doubts about his participation in today’s match and he has been ruled out for today’s match.

Going into tonight’s game, the Hawks are 7th in the NBA in PPG, 13th in FG%, 19th in 3PA, 19th in 3P%, 5th in FTA, 21st in turnovers, and 15th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the glassAtlanta ranks 11th in points per 100 possessions, 14th in effective field goal percentage, 18th in turnover percentage, 18th offensive rebound percentage and 9th in free throw percentage.

Things have been bumpy defensively for Atlanta, but they won’t face an offensive juggernaut tonight. Atlanta currently ranks 28th in PPG percentage allowed, 18th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed and 30th in three-point percentage allowed. According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta ranks 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Portland’s offense has struggled all season and they will be without Simons tonight and it seems likely that Ayton will not play. The Blazers will have to rely on Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant for their offensive production tonight.

The Blazers come into this game ranked 27th in the NBA in PPG, 28th in field goal percentage, 27th in three-point attempts, 28th in three-point percentage, 12th in free throw attempts, 12th in rebounding and 20th in turnovers. According to Cleaning the Glass, Portland ranks 30th in points per 100 possessions, 30th in effective field goal percentage, 27th in turnover percentage, 8th in offensive rebounding percentage and 16th in free throw percentage.

Things are slightly better for Portland defensively, but only slightly. The Blazers rank 21st in PPG allowed, 19th in field goal percentage allowed, 28th in three-point attempts allowed and 15th in three-point percentage allowed. According to Cleaning the Glass, Portland ranks 14th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 21st in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Trae Young is in a bit of a slump, but he is still the leader of the Hawks offense. Young went 5-18 in Friday’s win over Washington and is shooting 38% from the field and 34% from three this season. He is second in the NBA in assists per game, with an average of 11.3.

Dyson Daniels was the story of the Hawks. He has at least six steals in four straight games and may be the best perimeter defender in the NBA this year. With Simons out, it will be interesting to see who guards Daniels tonight. His offense is also starting to show, as he has scored at least 16 points in four straight games. He was great to start the year for Atlanta.

Zaccharie Risacher will start tonight and it was back and forth for the No. 1 pick. He shoots just 37% from the field and 23% from three, but he defends well and nothing seems too big for him. Once the shots start falling, Risacher becomes a high-impact player.

Jalen Johnson has been one of the best young players in the league this season and he seems to be getting better with every game. Johnson is averaging 18.9 PPG, 10.4 RPG and 5.5 APG on 46% from the field and 31% from three this season. His passing has taken a step forward this season and once his three-point shot starts falling, it will be scary for opponents when they face Atlanta.

The Hawks have had great production from the center position lately. Whether it’s Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu or Larry Nance, the Hawks will get good defense and rebounding. Nance currently leads the Hawks in three-point percentage (67%) and has shared the floor with both Capela and Okongwu over the past two games, something Quin Snyder has been reluctant to do.

Keaton Wallace will likely lead the backup point guard minutes tonight unless Bufkin comes back and takes over. Wallace has done a great job in recent weeks as a reliable two-way player as Young’s backup.

If Krejci plays, I think he’ll get minutes off the bench tonight, along with Garrison Matthews. Now that Hunter is out, I wouldn’t be shocked if David Roddy played tonight.

Portland will rely on Grant on offense tonight, but they will likely need a big game from Henderson as well. Toumani Camara is shooting 44% from three this season and the Hawks are poor at defending the three-point line. If Ayton doesn’t play, rookie Donovan Clingan will likely start, with Robert Williams coming off the bench. Clingan had a monster game against Minnesota on Wednesday, scoring 17 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking eight shots in 31 minutes. Clingan has incredible defensive ability and that could change the Hawks’ shooting decisions.