Hawks vs Cavaliers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineup for Tonight's Matchup

The Atlanta Hawks may not be at full health right now, but they showed they can still take care of buisness against teams they are supposed to beat. They blew out a Pacers team battling their fair share of injuries, 128-108. That same Pacers team got their first win of the season against a surprisingly excellent Warriors team, so dismissing the win entirely feels premature. The real test comes from whether they can be competitive against the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. That task becomes even harder without star point guard Trae Young, who will be out for the next four weeks at minimum with a MCL injury.

Even so, the Hawks are catching the Cavaliers at a good time. Cleveland just dropped a 112-101 clunker to the Raptors to start their NBA Cup play, right after they got blown out by the Tatum-less Celtics. Darius Garland, Max Strus, Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell are all at risk of missing the game and it's possible that Atlanta could just blow past them due to having more contributors in the lineup. Still, they can't afford to be complacent. Every win in the Eastern Conference is going to be important because Atlanta likely won't be able to seperate from teams with a winning streak without Young. This is still a Hawks team that got blown off the court against the Raptors in the season opener and until the sample of games gets larger, it'll be hard to forget that loss.

The Indiana game showed signs that they are making progress. Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were both excellent, scoring 22 and 21 points respectively while getting it done on defense. Johnson was incredible for the Hawks, finishing with a near triple-double as he also had 13 rebounds and 8 assists. Dyson Daniels also had a nice night, finishing with 18 points on 8-13 shooting while also getting six assists and three timely steals. His offense has been rough to start the year, but tonight was a great performance to hopefully get him back on track. Atlanta's bench got good nights from Onyeka Okongwu and Keaton Wallace, which kept them afloat and helped preserve their lead. As a team, the much-maligned Hawks defense held the Pacers to 27.7% shooting from deep.

By the Numbers

Dyson Daniels, Daniels, Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NB — Jan 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket beside Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Hawks' offense is steadily making progress after a horrid start. They're 18th in points, 14th in FG%, 20th in 3P%, 22nd in FT%, 19th in rebounds (18th in OREB), 6th in assists and 2nd in turnovers per game. They'll need a more team-based approach to offense in order to win games without Young, but their first crack at it against Indiana looked pretty good.

A relatively strong night on defense helped boost Atlanta's poor numbers up. However, it should be noted that the Hawks have been rather good at limiting threes. On a per-game basis, Atlanta ranks 18th in points allowed, 16th in FG% allowed, 4th in 3P% allowed, 28th in rebounds allowed, 15th in steals and 12th in blocks.

Cleveland's offense was a juggernaut last season, but they haven't played like it this season due to injuries. They rank 24th in points, 22nd in FG%, 17th in 3P%, 27th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (21st in OREB), 19th in assists and 17th in turnovers per game. Barring a hot streak from deep, it's going to be hard for this team to run consistent offense due to the sheer amount of injuries they are experiencing.

Having a defender of Evan Mobley's caliber in the lineup has helped the Cavs maintain a intimidating defense. They're 10th in points allowed, 9th in FG% allowed, 25th in 3P% allowed, 19th in rebounds allowed, 6th in steals and 13th in blocks. Their perimeter defense has been somewhat shaky, but Mobley being able to shut down the paint and cover almost anyone is such an advantage for them to have.

Three Reasons Atlanta Can Win This Game

Onyeka Okongwu, Okongwu, Allen, Jarrett Allen, Hawks, Atlanta Hawk — Jan 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) rebounds between Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) and center Jarrett Allen (31) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

While the Hawks are certainly a less talented team without Trae Young, the absence of Young has forced the offense to run through multiple different players. Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels will now be dictating a large portion of the offense. Each of these players had 3+ assists against Indiana and they only had 10 turnovers on the night, which is fairly solid. It's only one game, but the offense might be better than expected whle Young is sidelined. They have also been very good at limiting turnovers and that will keep them in a lot of games due to not sabotaging themselves with bad decisions.

Kristaps Porzingis was certainly the most headline-grabbing addition the Hawks made, but the play of Onyeka Okongwu cannot be ignored. He's been a consistent rebounding force, finishes plays well and is shattering his previous numbers from deep. This season, he's shooting 38.1% from deep on 3.5 attempts per game. Okongwu being able to hurt teams who leave him open is great for Atlanta's depth and should provide confidence that the Hawks will be able to withstand a long-term Porzingis absence. Okongwu is also averaging a career-best 15 points and 9.2 rebounds per game on the lowest TOV% of his career. Atlanta might have a case for the deepest center rotation in the league when everyone is healthy and it's because Okongwu and Gueye have been absolutely fantastic. That will help against limiting Mobley's impact.

While his start to the season hasn't been great, Keaton Wallace deserves credit for stepping into some big minutes and making the best of his opportunity. He nailed all three of his deep attempts and also dished out seven assists in just 17 minutes. Being the replacement for Young is not something he's suited for, but he can certainly run the offense for a stretch when the main ball-handlers are out or ineffective.

Three Reasons Atlanta Might Lose This Game

Evan Mobley, Mobley, Hawks, Atlanta Hawk — Jan 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) looks to pass beside Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) in the third quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Even with all their injuries, the Cavaliers still deserve respect because they have a star in Evan Mobley flanked by two respectable rotation players in Lonzo Ball and De'Andre Hunter. Ball has started the season off well for Cleveland after being acquired from the Bulls for Isaac Okoro. The injuries for Garland and Mitchell have tested their reserves, but Ball's averaging a ridiculous 33.2% assist percentage despite only playing in around 20 minutes a game. Hunter's been cold from deep, but he's averaging 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and a career-best three assists per game. It's possible that Cleveland finds enough offense to get past Atlanta while being able to shut them down on defense.

Atlanta's defense in transition is still a problem. They're suprisingly good at limiting points off turnovers, ranking 5th league-wide, However, they are 18th in fastbreak points conceded and they still aren't getting back fast enough. If teams out-run them, there's a good chance the Hawks will fall behind and they need to show it against the Cavaliers. It's not an especially intimidating matchup because the Cavs are middle of the pack in pace and don't score especially well in fastbreak situations. However, the Hawks need to show that they can hang with this type of team in transition.

Despite the Hawks having three solid to good centers, they have not been great at stopping teams in the paint. They're 25th in opponent points in the paint, which does not bode well for a matchup with Mobley. Fortunately, the Cavs might not have Jarrett Allen and the threat of punishing the Hawks with their double-big lineup won't be as strong. However, it's something to watch for Atlanta in tonight's game.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young is out and Keaton Wallace is day-to-day with an illness.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Max Strus, Sam Merrill and Darius Garland are all out while Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen are questionable .

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be underdogs on the road tonight as they are currently 7.5 point favorites according to the latest odds from the Fanduel Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 231.5.