Hawks vs. Cavs Game Preview

The Cavaliers fell to the Hawks in back-to-back games in November

Maybe the third time’s the charm for the Cavs against a depleted Hawks.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (38-9) vs. Atlanta Hawks (22-25)

Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse - Cleveland, OH

When: 7:00pm EST

TV: TNT

Line: Cavaliers - 10

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen.

Cavs injury report: Not submitted

Expected Hawks starting lineup: Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Vit Krejci, Mouhamed Gueye, Onyeka Okongwu

Hawks injury report: Kobe Bufkin: out for season (shoulder), Trae Young: day to day (hamstring), Clint Capela: out (back), Cody Zeller: out (personal), Bogdan Bogdanovic: out (personal), Jalen Johnson: out for season (shoulder).

What to watch for

Can the Hawks pull the upset again?

The Hawks shocked the league by not only beating the red-hot Cavaliers once, but then convincingly beating them again right after. As the months go on and Cleveland is still at the top of the East, it raises the question of what went wrong in those games.

Since their back-to-back contests, the Hawks have struggled with injuries and keeping the momentum they once had. Since Nov 27th the Hawks are .500 with an uninspiring 14-14 record. Since then, they have lost their rising star Jalen Johnson for the season, and a plethora of other supporting players for long stretches. Now when you look at their expected starting lineup against Cleveland, is it possible to pull off the three-peat against the Cavs?

The Hawks are also riding a six-game losing streak, including their most recent loss on Tuesday to the Rockets 96-100. The offense that has carried them in their wins, seems to have vanished. In their last three games against Toronto, Minnesota, and Houston the Hawks have posted less than 100 points (94,92, and 96). Meanwhile, none of those defenses have the ability to suffocate a team that the Cavaliers do, especially inside the perimeter.

With a lack of bodies and momentum, it will be a testament to Quin Snyder and the coaching staff if they can steal another win away from Cleveland.

Will the Cavaliers’ intensity show up against Atlanta?

A common gripe many had with the Hawks games for Cleveland was the level of effort displayed. It is not out of the question to take your foot off the gas for the first game. Having recently won their first 17 of 18 games could result in some tired legs. However, many thought they would put their foot on the throat of a middling Hawks team with an NBA Cup spot on the line.

History repeated itself on November 27th as the Cavaliers once again appeared flat. Did Atlanta have the secret formula to beating the Cavaliers? Or did they simply outhustle the team? Based on their most recent wins, against the Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat, the Cavaliers appeared to have rediscovered a fire in them.

When you are a team as deep and talented as the Cavaliers are, you can sleepwalk to wins sometimes. At that point, the biggest challenge you can face is that you stay engaged for long stretches. It would be easy to look at the Hawks’ current rotation and think that this is easy pickings. However, this is the team that embarrassed Cleveland in back-to-back games. If this Cavaliers’ team has pride, they should go out and put their foot on the throat of the Hawks similarly to how they just did against the Miami Heat.

You can watch tonight’s game with Corey Walsh LIVE on Playback. The stream begins at 7:00. We hope to see you there!