The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to be one step closer to securing home court advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a win tonight over the Atlanta Hawks.
The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers played the Hawks, it was a shootout victory on the road. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving led the way for the Cavs, combining for 81 points in a 135-130 contest. Cleveland was leading wire-to-wire, but Atlanta did roar their way back into it with a 42-point fourth quarter explosion that made it closer than it needed to be.
Hopefully the Cavs can build on the defensive effort they displayed in Boston the other night, in which they held the Celtics to just 40.7 percent shooting. It would be nice to get the key players some rest down the stretch. I expect this to be a tight game much of the way though, as the Hawks are fighting for their playoff lives in a suddenly interesting Eastern Conference playoff race.
Both teams have been disappointing the last few months, as Atlanta has been slipping to a 40-38 record. The Hawks are searching for answers offensively, as they are just 3-7 in their last ten contests (per ESPN NBA).
The Cavs haven’t been playing to their full potential since the All-Star break, as they’ve hovered around the .500 mark in that time. That said, both teams picked up statement W’s over a tough opponent in Boston the last two nights to gain some momentum going into this meeting. So to the matchup.
These two teams have a complete contrast in styles. The Cavs are fourth in the NBA in points per game and third in offensive efficiency (per teamrankings.com). They are also third in offensive rating and true shooting percentage (per nba.com). On the other hand, the Hawks are pretty stout defensively, as they give up the ninth-fewest opponent points per game and are fourth in defensive efficiency (again teamrankings.com). Their injury bug makes it a totally different story, though.
In the last time these two played, the Cavs did not have Kevin Love, so Bron and Kyrie had to carry an even bigger load. They dominated, combining to shoot 11-of-18 from three-point range, to go along with dishing out 17 assists between the two of them.
The bench got into the three act as well. Kyle Korver had three triples in his return to Atlanta, Channing Frye had three, and so did Derrick Williams. In addition, Richard Jefferson had three and Iman Shumpert had two. All in all, the Cavs tied their NBA single-game three-point record (set against these same Hawks in last year’s postseason) with 25 made triples in this heart-pumping affair in Philips Arena.
The issue was Atlanta eventually clawed their way back, as sixth man Tim Hardaway Jr. had a career-high 36 points and a plus/minus of +15. He accounted for five triples himself, and made a number of big shots to bring life back to the Hawks. Unfortunately for the Hawks, he and point guard Dennis Schroder are doubtful for this one, according to Hawks Beat Writer Chris Vivlamore. They will also be without key contributors in Kent Bazemore, Thabo Sefolosha and their best player in four-time All-Star Paul Millsap.
Hawks injury report: Bazemore, Millsap and Sefolosha out. Schroder and THJ doubtful.
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) April 7, 2017
That makes this one essentially a wash. The Hawks will need a Herculian effort from players like Mike Muscala, Mike Dunleavy and bench point guard Jose Calderon. That’s unlikely against the talent of the Cavs.
Rookie Taurean Prince has brought a lot of energy to this Hawks club lately, though. Last night, he had 18 first half points against Boston. He’s developing nicely toward the end of his first season. His versatility is what stands out.
Hopefully, the Cavs bench matches that intensity and grit, and contains him on the offensive glass and in transition. I’d like to see someone like Richard Jefferson or DeAndre Liggins bring a similar spark to the Cavs in loose-ball situations and for the most part, defensively.
The only real issue is Dwight Howard. He will be a handful inside for Kevin Love to deal with on the glass, especially with Tristan Thompson likely out until the playoffs with a thumb injury. If he can come close to matching Howard in rebounding and get him in some foul trouble on the other end, the rest of the matchups should definitely be in the Cavs favor.
I expect Kyrie to do his dance on the Hawks the whole way, and the wine-and-golders to separate themselves by halftime. The three-ball is what Atlanta gives you and that’s the Cavs specialty. They won’t shoot under 31.0 percent from three again in this one at the Q. The Cavs take the first end of the home-and-home with the Hawks easily with all of the Hawks out.
Prediction: Cavs 113, Hawks 93
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What do you expect to happen in tonight’s matchup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.