Atlanta Hawks vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Starting Lineups for Friday's Matchup

Now that most of the playoff bracket has been decided, the Hawks will play a Cavs lineup that's already looking ahead to the postseason.

Apr 8, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) dribbles defended by Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Hawks are essentially just waiting for the postseason to begin.

Tonight's game against the Cavaliers is a great matchup on paper. These two teams just played each other close in a 122-116 game with plenty of postseason physicality. Atlanta got another great game from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Jonathan Kuminga stepped up off the bench, but it wasn't enough to beat one of the best offenses in the NBA.

Fortunately, the Cavs are resting a few of their important pieces ahead of tonight. Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Thomas Bryant and Sam Merrill are all expected to be out. That gives the Hawks a fairly good chance at getting an easy win tonight and then possibly clinching the No. 5 seed with a win over the Heat if Toronto were to lose to either New York or Brooklyn. If that scenario comes to pass, Atlanta would be locked into a first-round matchup with this Cavaliers team. That poses a ton of interesting questions over whether the Hawks can actually advance or if they're destined to fall short in the first round.

If the Hawks can get the win and get out of tonight's game healthy, that's practically all that matters. The rest of the Eastern Conference playoff picture is taking shape around them, and they don't have a very difficult path to claim their first top-six playoff seed since the 2020-21 season.

By the Numbers

Apr 8, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) dribbles beside Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The offense largely performed well against a Cleveland defense with talented cornerstones. They are 6th in points, 13th in FG%, 5th in 3P%, 17th in FT%, 17th in rebounds (20th in OREB, 13th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 11th in turnovers per game. They're 14th in offensive rating this year.

The defense largely was fine against a good Cavs offense, but they struggled to adjust to Harden's ability to draw fouls. They're 17th in points allowed, 18th in FG% allowed, 11th in 3P% allowed, 22nd in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 17th in blocks. They're 9th in defensive rating this year.

The Cavaliers are still a very productive offense due to the synergy between James Harden and Donovan Mitchell and unsurprisingly, they combined for 52 points against Atlanta. They are 4th in points, 7th in FG%, 12th in 3P%, 20th in FT%, 12th in rebounds (12th in OREB, 12th in DREB), 8th in assists, and 9th in turnovers per game. They're 6th in offensive rating this year.

The Cavs' defense hasn't been as imposing as its reputation would suggest, but Evan Mobley is a defensive star and played like it against the Hawks. They are 15th in points allowed, 8th in FG% allowed, 26th in 3P% allowed, 12th in rebounds allowed, 15th in steals, and 13th in blocks. They're 16th in defensive rating this year.

Three Reasons The Hawks Can Win This Game

Apr 8, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates in the third quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Simply put, Donovan Mitchell has been one of the best ten players in basketball, and there's no way the Cavaliers are as good without him. The Cavaliers are a +5.9 in his minutes this season and the offense is 7.8 points per 100 possessions when he sits. He was absolutely surgical against the Hawks in their last game, scoring 31 points on just 19 shots while also grabbing seven rebounds. Unless Cleveland has an incredibly hot shooting night, it's going to be hard for them to make up the gap between Mitchell's scoring punch and whoever they choose to sub in for him.

Jarrett Allen's absence also makes a difference because his physicality in the paint led to eight rebounds and 11 free throws for the Cavaliers. Considering that he averages about five free-throw attempts a game for the season, it was definitely an outlier to see the Hawks foul him so often. Without a capable backup for Onyeka Okongwu, the Hawks are going to struggle against double-big lineups since they're already not a great rebounding team and they need to explore creative strategies for mitigating that weakness.

Cleveland and New York both employ double-big lineups regularly and the Boston Celtics have capable options to cycle through at the 5. However, Allen's absence means that the Hawks probably won't get an opportunity to work on a solution.

There isn't really much more that can be said about Nickeil Alexander-Walker's game at this point, other than hoping it translates to the playoffs this season. NAW has been incredible for Atlanta down the stretch, and he went toe-to-toe with Mitchell in this game, scoring 25 points on 19 shots. He can score at all three levels, and it's good to see that he was capable of doing this against a defense the Hawks will likely have to face in the postseason. Jonathan Kuminga's contributions against Cleveland shouldn't go unnoticed, either. He bulldozed his way to 24 points and gave the Hawks a massive lift on a night where their non-NAW starters struggled to do much on offense.

Three Reasons The Hawks Might Lose This Game

Apr 8, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) defends Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Even though the Cavs have several starters out and may keep other players on a minutes restriction, Evan Mobley's impact might swing the game again in Atlanta's favor. The Hawks don't have a lot of centers right now due to Jock Landale's injury, and Mobley is a mismatch as a result. He had a double-double of 22 points and 19 rebounds while also recording three blocks. It'll be interesting to see how Jalen Johnson manages to make up for some of the weaknesses the Hawks have at backup center.

James Harden is perfectly capable of being the second option, but he's also the rare sidekick who can step up and take over games as a primary option. Harden didn't have a great game against the Hawks, scoring 21 points on 23 shots and dishing out 4 assists on two turnovers. Dyson Daniels did a decent job of holding him in check, but it'll be tough to beat Harden when he has full rein to run the offense.

Cleveland's bench also didn't have a great game. Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder have been good pickups this season, but they didn't move the needle much against the Hawks. Max Strus has had moments since returning from injury, but he didn't have one of those moments during his recent matchup with Atlanta. If Strus, Ellis or Schroder return to form and have a better game, that could help the Cavs beat the Hawks even without Donovan Mitchell.

Injuries

Atlanta Hawks: Jock Landale has been ruled out.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Thomas Bryant and Sam Merrill have all been ruled out. Jaylon Tyson is questionable.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: Prime Video

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - CJ McCollum

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

F - Dyson Daniels

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Cavaliers

G - Dennis Schroder

G - James Harden

F - Keon Ellis

F - Dean Wade

C - Evan Mobley