The Cavaliers are chasing a fourth straight win tonight, and they’ll have to do it in Atlanta in the first back-to-back of their season.
Cleveland picked up its latest victory last night behind Evan Mobley, who finished with 24 points and went 5 of 6 from three-point range. At the moment, he’s actually shooting better from deep than he is inside the arc, a pretty striking trend for a player who keeps expanding his game.
This will be only the Cavaliers’ second road game of the season, and the matchup comes against an Atlanta team still sorting itself out after dealing away Trae Young. Since then, Jalen Johnson has taken on more of the load and has been the clear driver of what the Hawks are trying to build.
Johnson posted the best numbers of his career last season, averaging 22.5 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. He also had 13 triple-doubles a year ago, though he hasn’t gotten one yet this season.
Even with his scoring not matching last year’s level, his all-around playmaking has picked up. He leads the Hawks in points, rebounds, and assists.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been right there too. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year is averaging 19.6 points, giving Atlanta another steady source of offense.
Quinn Snyder’s group has been productive on that end overall. Atlanta enters with a top-five offense and ranks first in assists, while also keeping its turnover rate low.
The concern for the Hawks is on the glass. They sit in the bottom 10 in the NBA in rebounding, which could give Cleveland a real edge after outrebounding the Wizards by 20 in its last game.
Atlanta is 2-3 and comes in on a three-game losing streak after being beaten by Miami 129-117 yesterday.
Cleveland, meanwhile, has played a string of close games this season, and that’s why this one projects the same way. Over the last few seasons, the Cavaliers and Hawks have had plenty of tight finishes, and tonight looks like another one.
Donovan Mitchell was more of a supporting piece last night, so the expectation is that he takes on a bigger role tonight alongside Mobley, who is suddenly making noise in the three-point contest conversation.
There’s also a rookie matchup worth watching. Meleek Thomas will be going head-to-head with Kingston Flemings, the 8th overall pick, and there’s a chance Thomas sees him directly off the bench as he continues to show he was underrated in his class.
Cavaliers 117, Hawks 110.
In Other News...
Former Hawks Pick Is Already Making That Trade Look Painful
Zaccharie Risachers move from Atlanta to Dallas is starting to look like the kind of trade that lingers in the mind of a front office. The former Hawks pick has found a clearer defensive lane with the Mavericks, where his activity and impact on that end have taken a noticeable jump under coach Dusty May. Even with the shot still not fully cooperating, Risacher has carved out a real role in Dallas rotation plans because of the energy and length he brings every night.
The defensive numbers back up what the eye test has already suggested, and they point to a player whose value is rising fast in a new setting. For Atlanta, that makes the deal harder to ignore, especially with Risacher already showing he can affect games without needing the offense to come around first. The only question now is how far this version of him can go if the shooting ever catches up to the defense. [Read more 🡒]
Donovan Mitchell Is Taking Heat After Costly Late Sequence Vs Hawks
Donovan Mitchells night against Atlanta was already under the microscope after a rough shooting performance in Clevelands 114-111 loss, and the final minutes only sharpened the scrutiny. He finished 7-for-19 from the field and 1-for-9 from deep, a line that left the Cavaliers searching for answers in a game they could not afford to let slip away.
The sequence most fans latched onto came late in the fourth quarter, when Mitchell wound up with a possession that was supposed to go elsewhere and then came up empty on the ensuing three. Social media quickly turned on the moment, but there was at least some pushback from the broadcast and analysis side, with the suggestion that the play may have gone sideways because of a breakdown in the action rather than a selfish decision. [Read more 🡒]
Kingston Flemings Is Making The Hawks Ask A Tough Early Question
Kingston Flemings has given the Hawks something worth monitoring this early in the season: a young guard who already looks comfortable running an offense. His passing has stood out, and his production has been steady enough to put him in the conversation as a possible long-term answer at point guard, especially when measured against what Atlanta has been getting from CJ McCollum.
The bigger question is how quickly the Hawks are willing to trust that growth. Flemings has flashed enough playmaking to make a future starting role feel like more than a remote idea, but Atlanta has not made any lineup changes yet. For now, the organization is left weighing whether his early impact is simply a promising start or the beginning of a real push for a larger role. [Read more 🡒]