Preview: Hawks visit Blazers to close back-to-back set

Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty ImagesThe Atlanta Hawks suffered a lopsided defeat on Friday evening, falling at the hands of the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Just 24 hours later, the Hawks face another significant challenge with a visit to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers on short rest.

Portland will be adapting to a new reality in this game, after starting center Jusuf Nurkic suffered a fractured wrist earlier this week. That absence, in conjunction with the injury to Zach Collins, leaves the Blazers short-handed on the interior, though the backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum could make life difficult for Atlanta.

On the Hawks side, the official injury report is not due…