What To Expect In Second Atlanta Hawks-Cleveland Cavaliers Matchup

Fresh off of a four-game road trip, the Cleveland Cavaliers will begin a four-game homestand tonight against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Cavaliers won their first meeting against the Hawks this season 128-105 back on November 28.

Here are four things to expect in tonight’s matchup between Atlanta and Cleveland.

1. A New-Look Cavs Rotation

Yesterday, the Wine and Gold shared some unfortunate injury news for two of their star players.

Darius Garland was diagnosed with a fractured jaw, and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. Also, Evan Mobley will miss six-to-eight weeks due to arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

With these two out of the lineup for an extended period of time, the Cavaliers will need to rely on plenty of bench players to step up in a big way.

2. An Elite Guard Battle

Atlanta’s Trae Young (27.7 PPG, ninth) and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell (27.6 PPG, 10th) are both top-10 in scoring in the NBA so far this season.

While Young had a season-low 13 points against the Wine and Gold in late November, Mitchell posted his second 40-point performance of the season against the Hawks.

3. Plenty of Cleveland Offense

The Hawks’ defense ranks bottom-three in the NBA in opponent points per game (122.5, 28th), opponent field-goal percentage (50.3%, 29th), and opponent assists per game (28.8, 29th).

In the last meeting between these two teams, the Cavaliers scored a season-high 128 points. However, Mobley had one of the best games of his career, and Garland recorded 19 points and a team-high eight assists.

4. Motivation for the Cavaliers

The Cavaliers have lost three consecutive games, which is tied for their longest losing streak of the season.

The Wine and Gold will look to bring this streak to an end with a victory tonight.