Tip-off: Thursday, 7:35 p.m. ET
Line: Portland -4.5, Total: 207.5

Both the Blazers and the Hawks will attempt to snap their losing streaks when the two teams meet in Atlanta Thursday night.

Portland has now lost three straight games after a 95-85 road defeat in Orlando on Tuesday. The offense has not been able to get it going in the absence of PF LaMarcus Aldridge (back), averaging just 90.0 PPG over the past three games, but Aldridge has been upgraded to probable for this contest. Atlanta has had its own struggles, losing 107-83 in Minnesota on Wednesday evening. The defeat was its fourth straight and it has allowed 104.5 PPG over the past two games. When these teams met in Portland on March 5, the Blazers won 102-78 as 10-point favorites. The victory improved their record to 3-2 (SU and ATS) versus the Hawks over the past three seasons. For potential bettors, Portland is 16-5 ATS since 1996 after three straight games where it made 42% FG shots or worse. Atlanta, however, is 4-0 ATS after a game where it commits 23+ turnovers over the past three seasons. In addition to Aldridge listed as probable, SF Kyle Korver (back) is doubtful for the Hawks.

Which club will pick up a much-needed win on Thursday night? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2012-13 season. The experts have posted a profitable 53.4% ATS mark (31-27) since March 9. StatFox Dave has a strong 56% ATS (45-36-1) Best Bets record since Dec. 1, while StatFox Brian remains hot, going 58% ATS (25-18-1) since Jan. 25 and 54% ATS (39-33-1) in Best Bets since Dec. 12. StatFox Gary is also heating up with a 59% ATS mark (16-11) since Feb. 13, while StatFox Zach is on a 9-2 ATS run since March 9.

The Trail Blazers average 106.9 PPG (2nd in NBA), but they have lost their scoring touch recently. The return of PF LaMarcus Aldridge (23.4 PPG, 11.1 RPG) is desperately needed for this team, but in the win over Atlanta this season, Aldridge had one of his worst games of the season, as he finished with just 10 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes. PG Damian Lillard (21.1 PPG, 5.6 APG) had just 12 points and seven assists in that contest. He is averaging 19.8 PPG (33% FG, 22% threes) and 5.2 APG over his past five games, but has really struggled with his jumper. Lillard will need to play better in this game as he will have a crucial matchup with Jeff Teague. SF Nicolas Batum (13.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 5.1 APG) had 14 points and 18 rebounds in the last meeting with the Hawks. Batum had just six points (3-of-9 FG) in the loss to the Magic, so he will need to find his stroke in order to get back on track in this one. C Robin Lopez (10.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.7 BPG) had 20 points and 13 rebounds against the Magic. His defense inside will make life on the Hawks very difficult, and anything he adds offensively is just a bonus for this Blazers team.

Atlanta is really struggling and the timing couldn’t be worse as it does not have a comfortable hold on its current playoff position. In the Hawks' 107-83 road loss to the Timberwolves, PF Mike Scott (9.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG) led the team in scoring with 15 points (6-of-11 FG, 2-of-3 threes). Scott could be in for another big game if LaMarcus Aldridge is limited in some capacity. PG Jeff Teague (16.1 PPG, 7.0 APG) was lousy in the loss to Minnesota, finishing with zero points and six assists in 19 minutes. Teague had 10 points in the loss to the Blazers last game and must do better, or Damian Lillard is going to give his team a major advantage at the point guard position. Teague is still averaging 18.6 PPG over the past five games despite the poor outing on Wednesday. SG Lou Williams (9.9 PPG, 3.5 APG) is averaging 13.5 PPG over the past two games. He has seen 30.0 MPG in those contests despite playing just 24.1 MPG on the season. SF Cartier Martin (5.5 PPG) led the team in scoring in their loss to the Blazers last meeting. He had 16 points (7-of-14 FG) and six rebounds in 24 minutes, but since then, his minutes have decreased significantly.