The Atlanta Hawks are on the road tonight to face the NBA’s best team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs come into the game with a 17-1 record, with the only loss being a road loss to Boston in the NBA Cup. This is going to be the first of two matchups this week between the two teams, with the next one being on Black Friday in the last day of NBA Cup Group Play.

Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) is questionable for tonight’s game and Cody Zeller (Not with team) is out. Max Strus (ankle), Dean Wade (ankle), and Caris LeVert (knee) are out for Cleveland tonight. Keep an eye out for Young’s official status.

Coming into tonight’s game, the Hawks are 9th in the NBA in PPG, 19th in FG%, 21st in 3PA, 22nd in 3P%, 5th in FTA, 24th in turnovers, and 13th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 20th in points per 100 possessions, 20th in effective field goal percentage, 19th in turnover percentage, 9th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 11th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 28th in PPG allowed, 22nd in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed, and 30th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 21st in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Cleveland has the best record in the league and it is not fluky. The numbers reflect those of an elite team and Atlanta is gonig to be challenged a great deal tonight. The Cavs are 1st in the NBA in PPG, 1st in FG%, 13th in three-point attempts, 1st in 3P%, 27th in free throw attempts, 19th in rebounding, and 6th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Cleveland is 2nd in points per 100 possessions, 1st in effective field goal percentage, 6th in turnover percentage, 26th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 27th in free throw rate.

Defensively, the Cavs might not be as elite as some years past, but they are still very good. They rank 10th in PPG allowed, 10th in FG% allowed, 13th in three point attempts allowed, and 28th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Cleveland is 8th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 12th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The big question for the Hawks is if Young plays. While they did win a game without him, the offense is not as good when he is off the floor. He has not been his usual self this season, but still leads the league in assists and is coming off of an 18-point, 16 assist game. If he does not play tonight, I think either Kobe Bufkin or Bogdan Bogdanovic would start in his place.

Dyson Daniels is going to have the task of guarding Donovan Mitchell tonight and maybe even Darius Garland too when Mitchell is off the floor. Daniels has been the best perimeter defender in the NBA this season, but has not had a huge impact game since the Hawks back-to-back wins vs the Celtics and Wizards. When Young was out vs the Celtics, Daniels had the best game of his career. His shooting has not been where it needs to be, but he will be an impact player tonight.

The Hawks have continued to start No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher, but he has been struggling shooting from three (and in general) and has not played a lot of minutes over the past few games. Assuming Risacher continues to start, how long he is on the floor might depend on how he is shooting. He has been a good defender, but the Hawks have a shooting/spacing problem right now and if he is not shooting well, it hurts the team.

Jalen Johnson is coming off of a huge 28-point, 11 rebound game in which he shot 12-20 from the field. Johnson could have a huge night on the glass tonight. He is one of the best rebounders in the league and Cleveland ranks 19th in rebounding and 26th in offensive rebounding rate.

The center position for the Hawks has to be better moving forward. Clint Capela offers rim protection and solid rebounding, but most nights he has nothing to offer on offense. Onyeka Okongwu is supposed to be the guy to bring offense, but he has not had a good season and is one of the main reasons the Hawks bench is struggling so much. If the struggles continue for Okongwu, the Hawks might want to consider playing Larry Nance more.

The bench for the Hawks has been a big problem and it was supposed to be a strength for the team coming into the year. Bogdan Bogdaovic has started to shoot the ball better in the last two games, but De’Andre Hunter is back to struggling after a solid start to the season. Kobe Bufkin has not made an impact in the games he has played since coming back from injury. The Hawks starting unit has been a good unit, but the bench is a big reason for the Hawks struggles tonight.

The Cavs are not one of the league’s best rebounding teams, they don’t get to the line (27th in free throw attempts and free throw rate), and they are 28th in three-point percentage allowed. If the Hawks can win the rebounding battle, have a big free throw advantage, and find a way to not get destroyed in the three-point battle, they just might have a chance.

Cleveland has an elite guard combo with Mitchell and Garland and both are playing outstanding to start the year. Evan Mobley might be the big story with the Cavs though. He is a tremendous defender and is now shooting 36% from three, though not on high volume. Ty Jerome has been one of the best bench players in the NBA and has been one of the best shooters this year as well, shooting 54% from three this season.

Atlanta is a 10-point underdog tonight vs the Cavs according to Fanduel Sportsbook. The total is set at 240.5.

Prediction

With or without Young, it is tough to see the Hawks going on the road and winning this game. The three-point defense is a major issue and when you are facing the top three-point shooting team in terms of percentage, that seems like a bad recipe. Maybe the Cavs have a poor shooting night and the Hawks can have advantages elsehwhere, but I will believe it when I see. Maybe they can pull off an upset like when they won in Boston, but the Cavs win tonight at home.

Final Score: Cavs 126, Hawks 113

Additional Links:

Hawks vs Cavaliers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Betting Odds, Projected Starting Lineups For Tonight’s Game

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Posted November 26, 2024 11:37pm EST

ATLANTA – Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy had a party over in Atlanta on Monday night. Not that kind of party.

It was the kind of party that had Hardy probably wanting to pop some champagne after he scored a season-high 23 points during the Mavs’ 129-119 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The breakout game from Hardy came after he struggled and scored just 19 points and was only 7-of-24 from the field in the three games prior to the contest against the Hawks.

Guard Spencer Dinwiddie said the three games before the Mavs played Atlanta shouldn’t be taken as true indicators of Hardy’s value to the Mavs.

“I don’t think two subpar games are going to shake his confidence, nor should it,” Dinwiddie said. “Especially given the fact that obviously everything is in flux right now. Roles are still kind of being defined for the bench where we’re waiting to really play at full strength for a consistent amount of time.

“There’s nothing that Jaden should take poorly, especially in his young career. He’s still learning and growing (and he’s) super talented.”

Hardy was thrust into the starting lineup against the Hawks, because point guard Luka Dončić was sidelined due to a sprained right wrist. He responded by converting 8-of-18 shots – he was 2-of-7 from downtown – and also picked up three steals.

“It felt good to get going a little bit (Monday), and also just to get the win,” Hardy said. “We needed this win.

“Nobody’s going to have a perfect game when you go out there. Everybody is going to make mistakes, but it’s really just moving on to the next play and having the next play mentality. As long as you bring the energy and effort, I felt like you’ll be good.”

Hardy felt the good vibes coming from guard Kyrie Irving as the two teammates embraced.

“He came in and started and did exactly what was necessary for us to get over the hump,” Irving said. “He stayed aggressive, and it was just a beautiful brand of basketball when you know you got five guys out there that are looking to attack the rim and make plays for one another.

“I’m really proud of him. I want him to keep it up. (Monday) he just showed his value as he’s been doing since preseason and just throwing him out there and playing against the best of the best.”

Hardy poured in 10 of the 33 points the Mavs scored in the second quarter against the Hawks. That comes from his reputation of being able to get buckets in a short period of time.

“To be honest it reminds me — in terms of the scoring ability — of Kam Thomas, somebody I played with in Brooklyn,” Dinwiddie said. “(He has) the ability to get hot quick and be dynamic in that sense, so the sky’s the limit for him.

“(He has to) just stay focused (and) keep working. He’s got every tool in terms of scoring, for sure. He’s a confident kid. I know he believes in his scoring ability, so I know it’s always nice to see the ball go in.”

Here are the three takeaways from the Mavs’ 10-point win over the Hawks.

IRVING OWNED THE FOURTH QUARTER: One of the things Mavs guard Kyrie Irving has a history of, it’s his ownership of the fourth quarter. The 14-year veteran did it again Monday when he tallied 16 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter. With the game on the line, Irving tallied 16 points in the fourth quarter when he was 6-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc. During one stretch in the final quarter, Irving drilled three straight three-pointers.

THE ROARING 20’S: The Mavs accomplished something Monday they hadn’t accomplished in nearly 10 months. And that is the game against the Hawks marked the first time the Mavs had four players score at lest 20 points in the same game. That hadn’t happened since Jan. 29 of last season when the Mavs accomplished that feat during a 131-129 win over the Orlando Magic. On Monday for the Mavs, Kyrie Irving poured in 32 points, Jaden Hardy tallied 23 points, and Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 22 points apiece.

PAINT POINTS MATTER: The Mavs had a field day roasting the Hawks inside the paint. It was as if it was open season for the Mavs as they outscored Atlanta on points in the paint by a wide 76-50 margin. The Mavs were 38-of-67 on shots in the paint for a superb 56.7 percent. At various times it appeared as though the Mavs had this grand idea of simply just wanting to make a living in the paint as they kept scoring basket after basket after basket inside the painted area.

X: @DwainPrice