3 key matchups to watch in Cavs-Hawks play-in game on Friday

What was a dream season for the Cleveland Cavaliers has quickly turned into a disaster. Injuries to multiple key players saw the Cavs finish the season with a 9-15 record and fall to the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. Now, the team has a do-or-die situation against the Atlanta Hawks for a chance to make the playoffs for the first time without LeBron James since the 90s.

A chance to make this playoff run the start of a new era of Cavs basketball.

The Hawks won this year’s season series 3-1 as Trae Young’s masterful play helped them secure the last three games. The keys to a win for the Cavaliers should revolve around limiting the Hawks’ electrifying offense. That starts with limiting second-chance points, forcing Trae Young to be more of a passer than a scorer, and not allowing their lethal shooters to get hot.

These things are easier said than done but the Cavs have been one of the best defensive teams this season for a reason, despite a tough ending to the season. Another key to a win is winning certain matchups, and in today’s article, we’ll look at three key matchups to look out for in this game.

#1: An electrifying point guard battle: Darius Garland vs. Trae Young

A duel between top-seven Eastern Conference guards, this game could be the predecessor to a potential rivalry. Two All-Star guards, both players with a ton of similarities in their games with their ability to orchestrate an offense, shoot from limitless range, and shifty handle.

Since the All-Star break, Darius Garland and Trae Young are the only players to average 24+ points and 10+ assists per game. For Trae Young, this is something he’s been doing since he entered the league. Darius Garland on the other hand has had an uptick in his play this season after a very promising offseason. DG the PG has solidified himself as a cornerstone piece and is now garnering the attention of everyone.

If anyone could go bang for bang against Young on the Cavaliers, it is Garland and his knack to elevate his play in big games has me confident in this matchup.

A sharpshooting frontcourt duel: Lauri Markkanen vs. Danilo Gallinari

With John Collins unlikely to suit up for today’s game, Danilo Gallinari is expected to draw the start for the fifth straight game. To end the season, Gallinari has provided a much-needed spark for the Hawks, averaging 14.4 points per game over the team’s last 17 games.

Looking at Lauri Markkanen, since the All-Star break, he has seemed to hit his stride with averages of 16.7/6.2 on 46/38.1/87.2 splits. This improvement in play comes after Jarrett Allen‘s injury, sliding Markkanen back to his natural position at the power forward spot.

In his first postseason play, Markkanen put up a dissatisfying 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting in a loss in Tuesday’s play-in game at the Brooklyn Nets. On the flip side, Gallinari had 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting for the Hawks in their convincing win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Overall, Markkanen’s success against the Hawks this season has been unpleasant. In three games against ATL, Markkanen has a combined 28 points and has shot no better than 40% from the field in any of the games.

For the Cavaliers to pull out this win, they’ll need a lot more than that from Markkanen. All the bad in those games can be erased if he performs in the biggest one of them all.

A potential rim-wrecking center matchup: Jarrett Allen? vs. Clint Capela

The topic of discussion surrounding the Cavaliers has been Jarrett Allen’s potential return. There have been multiple videos of Allen warming up before games but all head coach J.B. Bickerstaff essentially had to say about his status was that he hasn’t been ruled out, nor in, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Now, Allen will reportedly try to play in this do-or-die contest. If I were a betting man, I would lean towards Allen playing but we’ll have a clearer picture once we get closer to game time.

Returning from a significant finger injury has been a huge task for Allen and Clint Capela being the potential opposing matchup doesn’t make things better. Clint Capela is a rebounding machine and has been so for the past half-decade.

An integral part of the Hawks’ success, his 6’10”, 240-pound frame makes him an elite lob threat and rim protector as well. As I alluded to earlier, limiting second-chance points is key to winning this game and it starts with keeping Capela off the boards as much as possible.

All in all, Friday’s game should be intense and electrifying. The Cavs must come out firing and can’t afford to get down early in this game. This will be a hard-fought game and is one that I expect to come down to the final possessions.