February 26, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Corey Kispert (24) steps on the goal line between Washington Wizards guard Sharif Cooper (13) and forward Anthony Gill (16) in the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Image The Atlanta Hawks host the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, looking to get to .500 for the first time since December when they completed a five-game homestand.
Atlanta has won three straight, including a pair of wire-to-wire wins over woeful Washington. The Hawks haven’t had a .500 record since Dec. 21, when they were 15-15. Afterwards, he attempted to break even three times and failed to win.
Portland lost 109-93 to Charlotte on Saturday afternoon. Portland is 1-1 in their five-game road trip and 6-4 in their last 10 games.
Atlanta and Portland are in similar positions heading into the playoffs, with both fighting to avoid participation in the play-in tournament. The Hawks are tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference with Charlotte, two games behind eighth-place Miami. The Trail Blazers are in 9th place in the Western Conference, two and a half games behind Golden State in 8th place.
“It’s not impossible,” said Corey Kispert of Atlanta. “There’s a reason we play this game. We’re going to play it regardless of who’s on the other side.”
The Hawks played Thursday against Washington without leading scorers Jalen Johnson (left hip flexor) and Nickel Alexander-Walker (sprained ankle). Both are listed as questionable for Sunday.
But the team’s new faces came out strong in Thursday’s 126-96 win over the Wizards. Kispert scored a career-high 33 points. CJ McCollum has 25 points since Atlanta acquired him and Kispert in a trade with Washington and is averaging 18.6 points per game. Jonathan Kuminga, who has played in just two games since returning from a knee contusion, had 27 points and 17 points.
“Ever since I’ve been here we seem to have a new team every few days,” Kispert said. “And now that the roster is in place, we’re finally ready to go. We’re putting the pedal to the metal. We’re going to win some games. This is a really good group. People who want to win and play the right way.”
Portland’s Scoot Henderson, who grew up in Atlanta’s northern suburbs, has played nine games since missing the first 51 with a left hamstring injury. He made his first start on Thursday and scored 12 points in a win over the Chicago Bulls. He has impressed coach Thiago Splitter since his return.
“He’s playing freely. I don’t think he’s going to assume anything,” Splitter said. “He’s great in defense, he’s great in attack, he’s picking up the pace and finding his teammates. Being young and still developing, we expect more from him, but he’s done a great job since the injury.”
Portland’s Donovan Clingan returned to the lineup Saturday after missing the game due to illness. The center is third in the league with 11.5 rebounds per game and has averaged 12.8 rebounds over the past five games. During that span, he scored 18 points on February 12 against Utah.
Deni Avdija, who is averaging a team-leading 24.4 points per game, has missed the last three games while managing a back injury. Shayden Sharp (21.4 ppg) has missed the last nine games and will be out another 4-6 weeks due to a stress reaction in his left fibula.
The Trail Blazers have won their last three meetings with Atlanta, including a 117-101 decision in Portland on Jan. 15.
–Field level media
