Hawks vs Cavs: Starting Lineups

The Cavs and the Hawks just announced their starting lineup for today's game

Nov 25, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) is defended by Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Hawks and the Cavs are set to face each other for the second time in three days and both teams just announced their starting lineups.

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Clint Capela

Cavs

G- Darius Garland

G- Donovan Mitchell

F- Isaac Okoro

F- Evan Mobley

C- Jarrett Allen

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 9th in the NBA in PPG, 17th in FG%, 19th in 3PA, 20th in 3P%, 5th in FTA, 23rd in turnovers, and 10th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 18th in points per 100 possessions, 19th in effective field goal percentage, 19th in turnover percentage, 8th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 10th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 28th in PPG allowed, 20th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed, and 30th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 22nd in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The Cavs are 1st in the NBA in PPG, 1st in FG%, 12th in three-point attempts, 1st in 3P%, 26th in free throw attempts, 20th in rebounding, and 5th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Cleveland is 3rd in points per 100 possessions, 1st in effective field goal percentage, 5th in turnover percentage, 23rd in offensive rebounding percentage, and 26th in free throw rate.

Defensively, the Cavs might not be as elite as some years past, but they are still very good. They rank 12th in PPG allowed, 12th in FG% allowed, 13th in three-point attempts allowed, and 29th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Cleveland is 9th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 13th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The Hawks offensive carved the Cavs up in their matchup on Wednesday. Atlanta shot the ball 48% from the field and from three, winning the three-point battle vs the opponent for what felt like the first time all year. Can they have a repeat performance today?

Trae Young led the way on Wednesday and he had one of the best games of his career. He finished with 20 points and a career high 22 assists vs the Cavs and while his shooting still leaves a bit to be desired (6-18 from the field, 3-13 from three), Young showed on Wednesday why he is one of the best point guards in the NBA and the league leader in assists.

Dyson Daniels has had a string of subpar games on offense and he scored 12 points on 4-11 shooting. He played solid defense against Donovan Mitchell and remains an impact player on that end every night, but the offense is a game-to-game thing.

Zaccharie Risacher is still not playing huge minutes, but he was super effective on Wednesday in the 17 minutes he played, especially at the start of the 3rd quarter. Risacher finished with 17 points on Wednesday, but he scored the first 13 points of the third quarter for Atlanta on Wednesday and was 5-5 in the quarter. Shooting is everything for Risacher right now. He does a lot of things well, but when he is not shooting, it is tough to leave him on the floor.

Jalen Johnson did not get the love Young got for his performance the other night, but he still finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Johnson has been an All-Star level player this year.

The center position for the Hawks has been a weakness for them and that showed on Wednesday. Clint Capela (who has been their best center this season) had two points and nine rebounds, but it was a poor matchup for him and Onyeka Okongwu played the majority of the minutes. Okongwu finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists on Wednesday and I am watching to see if he plays the majority of the minutes tonight.

While Young and Johnson were great on Wednesday, the bench was the biggest reason the Hawks won on Wednesday. Atlanta's bench outscored Cleveland's 62-28 on Wednesday night. De'Andre Hunter (26 points, 5-9 from three), Bogdan Bogdanovic (17 points, 3-5 from three), and Kobe Bufkin (nine points, four rebounds, and 2-2 from three in 11 minutes) were phenomenal for the Hawks, but can they be just as good today?

Cleveland got big games from Donovan Mitchell (30 points) and Evan Mobley (22 points, 12 rebounds, four steals) on Wednesday, but their bench got vastly outplayed and they lost the three-point battle. They are going to try and turn those things around today and they are very capable of doing so.