Hawks vs Cavaliers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups

Atlanta is looking for their third win in their last four games when they face Cleveland on the road tonight

Atlanta is back in action tonight and looking for their third win in the last four games. They are currently in the midst of a five-game road trip and will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight in the first matchup of these two teams this season. 

Both Atlanta and Cleveland are hoping to be among the top teams in the Eastern Conference, but both have been underwhelming for different reasons so far. Atlanta has had defensive trouble this season and now is trying to manage having Jalen Johnson out with an injury. Cleveland has had different starters out this year and has not played a lot of games with their full lineup. 

This is the final matchup of group play for the in-season tournament and Atlanta has very low odds of getting the wild card spot, but the opportunity is still there if they win the game and several other teams lose. 

So how do these teams match up? Let's preview the game. 

Game Preview

Trae Young is starting to get his offense going / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sport

Atlanta has one of the best offenses in the NBA and it is only going to get more lethal if Trae Young continues to play well. 

Young had a 38-point performance against the Pacers in a wild shootout, 43 against the Nets, 26 against the Wizards (a game in which he did not play much in the second half because of a blowout), and 33 in a loss to the Celtics last night. Young has still been an elite playmaker all season long, but now that his shot is starting to fall, it is going to make this already elite offense even harder to stop.

After the loss against Boston on Sunday, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder took time to talk about the way that Young has started to play on offense:

"His three-point shooting is a big part of his game. You know, he had a lot going on, he had a baby, but he has been really committed to running the team in a way that we are attacking collectively and he is beginning to really find the windows during the course of the game where he is recognizing when he is open and he is not hesitating and I think that is reflecting in his three-point shooting and if he is taking those shots and even if he is not making them, I have confidence in him that they are going to go in and it does a lot of other things on the court that set up other parts of his game that involve people and I think that is a big thing for him."

The Hawks are 2nd in PPG (123.6), 8th in field goal percentage (48.0%), 8th in three-point percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding, and 22nd in turnovers per game. Atlanta's Achilles hill on offense this season has been turnovers, but they have been able to overcome that. 

Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 3rd in points per 100 possessions, 7th in effective field goal percentage, 3rd in offensive rebounding percentage, 4th in free throw rate, and 19th in turnover percentage. The advanced numbers back up that Atlanta has been an elite offense this season. 

Trae Young is now averaging 26.5 PPG and 10.4 APG, and Dejounte Murray is averaging 20.0 PPG, 5.7 APG, and 4.4 RPG. Bogdan Bogdanovic has been one of the top bench players in the NBA this season and he is averaging nearly 16 PPG off the bench. 

Bogdan Bogdanovic has been one of the top bench players in the NBA / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, Cleveland had the top defense in the NBA, but that has not been the case so far this season. The Cavs are 14th in PPG allowed, 8th in field goal percentage allowed, and 25th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Cleveland is 11th in points per 100 possessions allowed and 8th in effective field goal percentage. Cleveland will provide a tough test for the Hawks, but not as much of a test as they faced Sunday in Boston. 

Like the Hawks, Cleveland has a backcourt full of star power. Donovan Mitchell is averaigng 27.0 PPG and 5.3 APG and Darius Garland is averaing 19.4 PPG and 5.7 APG. They have their challenges defensively, but they can be elite scorers on any given night. 

The offense as a whole is just ok. They are 22nd in PPG (110.8), 10th in field goal percentage (47.5), 21st in three-point percentage (35.0%), 20th in offensive rebounding, and 18th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Cleveland is 24th in points per 100 possessions, 16th in effective field goal percentage, 17th in turnover rate, 21st in offensive rebounding rate, and 14th in rebounding rate. 

While the Cavs offense is not one of the NBA's best, the Hawks have had a hard time stopping anyone and that is only going to get harder without Jalen Johnson. The Hawks are 26th in PPG allowed, 24th in field goal percentage allowed, and 22nd in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 23rd in points per 100 possessions allowed and 25th in effective field goal percentage allowed. 

How Atlanta defends Cleveland will be interesting to follow tonight. I would suspect that Murray guards Mitchell, but the other matchups will be interesting. 

Injury Report

Atlanta released its injury report yesterday and there were no surprises. Kobe Bufkin, Mouhamed Gueye, and Jalen Johnson remain out. 

Cleveland will be missing Dean Wade, Ty Jerome, and Ricky Rubio. 

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks are currently underdogs tonight, as they are 4.5-point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 238.5.

Projected Starting Lineups 

Dejounte Murray might be guarding Donovan Mitchell tonight / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G- Dejounte Murray

F- De'Andre Hunter

F- Saddiq Bey

C- Clint Capela

Quin Snyder could switch up the starting lineup, but I suspect that Saddiq Bey is going to get another start in place of Johnson. 

Cavaliers

G- Darius Garland

G- Donovan Mitchell

F- Max Strus

F- Evan Mobley

C- Jarrett Allen

Player to Watch on the Hawks- Dejounte Murray

Murray got off to a fantastic start, but he has come back down to Earth on offense in the last few games. Young has started to play at his usual All-NBA level, but Murray has not been the same on offense. Let's see if he can take advantage of some defensive matchups on Cleveland. 

Player to Watch on the Cavs- Evan Mobley

Some have soured on Mobley after a poor playoff series vs the Knicks, but I still think he has the tools to be an elite player in the NBA. This is where the Hawks will miss Johnson because he will be matched up with Mobley. With a good matchup against Bey, Mobley could have a big night. 

Prediction 

I think the Hawks will get a road win tonight. They will take advantage of a good matchup against two defensively challenged guards and they will limit the production of the other guys around Garland and Mitchell. The Cavs don't have a strong bench and I think that will be the difference. 

Final Score: Hawks 116, Cavs 112

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