Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks Game Day Preview

Preview

We have made it to the final game of 2021. There is no way to sugarcoat it, the second half of the calendar year was as awful as the first half was amazing for the Atlanta Hawks. This season, the team has struggled mightily with injuries and illness which exacerbated the roster's underlying issues.

The Hawks find themselves in a precarious position. They are 12th in the Eastern Conference and have built almost zero chemistry through the first third of the regular season. Luckily, they have plenty of time left. Even better, they have the All-NBA play of Trae Young.

Cross 'em up.@TheTraeYoung x #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/rHHQIkjxba
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 30, 2021

The Hawks point guard has averaged 27.5 points and 10 assists in his first two games back after clearing COVID protocols. More help should be on the way as other key players test out in the coming days.

While the Cavaliers have wildly exceeded expectations this season, they suffered a huge loss earlier this week. Ricky Rubio tore his ACL and is out for the season. The veteran point guard served as the perfect backup to Darius Garland. Even more crucially, the Cavaliers roster doesn't have any other point guards.

Pickin' pockets and gettin' buckets 🔥@betwayusa | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/9psVlHVxlE
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) December 27, 2021

The Cavaliers' success is predicated on their defense. They have the second-best defensive rating in the league. Thanks to their length and versatility, the Cavaliers will make a formidable opponent for whoever faces them in the playoffs.

Injury Report

Since the Cavs played last night, we are still awaiting an official injury report. However, we do know they are without Collin Sexton (knee) and Ricky Rubio (knee). Additionally, the following players are still in the NBA Health & Safety Protocols: Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, and Cedi Osman.

The Hawks are without De'Andre Hunter (wrist) and Solomon Hill (hamstring). Additionally, Bogdan Bogdanovic, John Collins, Sharife Cooper, Gorgui Dieng, Malik Ellison, Danilo Gallinari, Kevin Huerter, Jalen Johnson, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Onyeka Okongwu, and Delon Wright are still in Protocols as of this morning.

Odds

SI Sportsbook lists the Cavs as 1.5-point favorites. That's reasonable given both teams lack of depth at the moment. I wrote at the beginning of December that the Hawks just had to tread water and survive the month. They haven't done that. A win tonight would seriously help a team that's drowning in 10-day contracts.

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