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After an easy win yesterday over the injury ravaged Miami Heat the Cavs get back to work tonight against the Atlanta Hawks, who were off yesterday after a 124-122 OT win over Toronto Saturday. Both teams are 10-6 and tied for 3rd in the East. This is the first time they’ve played this year. The Hawks are 4-1 on the road.
The Hawks are healthy except for Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has yet to play this season. They have won 6 of their last 9 with the losses coming to Utah, Boston, and Philly. They are playing very well at the moment. This will be a tough challenge.
The starters:
Trae Young - 27.3 pts, 9.5 assists. Young is only shooting 39.4% from the field and 31.5% on 3’s, however. He shot 47% and 38% last year.
Dejounte Murray - 21.1 pts, 6.3 rebounds, 7.4 assists. 45% overall and 31% on 3’s.
DeAndre Hunter - 16 pts, 4 rebounds, 45% and 36%.
John Collins - 12 pts, 8 rebounds, 49% and 23%.
Clint Capela - 11.5 pts, 11.8 rebounds, 62%
The bench:
Onyeka Okongwu - 7.4 pts, 5.7 rebounds, 65% overall in 20 minutes a game.
AJ Griffin - small forward, 16th pick in this year’s draft. 7.7 pts in 15 minutes, 49% and 36%.
Nobody else on their bench averages more than 6 points.
Clint Capela is the only center on their roster and he averages only 27 minutes per game. Okongwu, 6’8”, 240, is listed as a PF but I assume he plays when Capela is down since their combined playing time is 47 minutes. They have another big in Frank Kaminsky (7’0”) but he’s not in the rotation.
The last time Capela played the Cavs with Jarrett Allen at center he was held to 5 points and 7 rebounds in 31 minutes. Allen needs to be that effective on him tonight.
Offensively the Hawks are 26th in effective field goal percentage but 9th in points per game. The reason seems to be that they have the fewest turnovers in the league and they play fast. They run at every opportunity and are 2nd in shot attempts per game. Also, their offensive rebound percentage is a little above average. Capela and Okongwu combine for over half their offensive rebounds.
The Hawks are last in the NBA in 3-point attempts (28 per game) and 27th in 3-point percentage (32%). They don’t take many 3’s and miss a lot. They rank 3rd in points in the paint. This is a team that wants to take it to the hole.
This should be to the Cavs’ advantage with Allen and Mobley protecting the rim, assuming the Hawks don’t beat them down the floor.
The Hawks rank 7th in fast break points per game so they like to score in transition. The Cavs have had problems getting back on defense after turnovers and missed shots so they need to emphasize that tonight. Atlanta is in the half-court offense 77% of the time, 3rd fewest in the league, so they push the ball at every opportunity. They rank 21st in points per play in the half-court so the Cavs need to prevent the Hawks from running and make them walk it up.
The Cavs are below average (19th) in turnover percentage so they need to protect the ball. Last night they had too many turnovers.
The Hawks are only 27th at free throw attempts per play despite all those points in the paint. They are not a big team; Capela is 6’10”, Okonwu 6’8”, and Collins is 6’9”. Nobody else in their rotation is over 6’6”.
So the keys defensively for the Cavs are to defend the paint effectively, minimize turnovers, and get back on defense following missed shots and force the Hawks into their half-court game.
Defensively the Hawks are below average, ranking 20th in points per game and 25th in opponents’ points in the paint. Mobley and Allen should be able to score from the paint, especially when Capela is out. The Hawks’ emphasis on defense is the 3-point line - they rank 3rd in opponents’ 3-point percentage (32.5%). They are much better defending the perimeter than the paint.
The Hawks foul shooters a lot. They rank 8th lowest in fouls per play but 28th in free throws allowed per play, which tells me they don’t foul on the floor but foul in the act of shooting. They seem to have a “make ‘em earn it at the line” mentality.
The Cavs need to pound the ball inside and attack the rim, drawing fouls and scoring on layups and free throws while getting in the bonus early. The Hawks can’t fast break after free throws, so getting fouled also helps the defense.
Dean Wade, Kevin Love, and Caris LeVert are listed as game time decisions. A lot may depend on who is available for the Cavs.
The Hawks are healthy except for Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has yet to play this season. They have won 6 of their last 9 with the losses coming to Utah, Boston, and Philly. They are playing very well at the moment. This will be a tough challenge.
The starters:
Trae Young - 27.3 pts, 9.5 assists. Young is only shooting 39.4% from the field and 31.5% on 3’s, however. He shot 47% and 38% last year.
Dejounte Murray - 21.1 pts, 6.3 rebounds, 7.4 assists. 45% overall and 31% on 3’s.
DeAndre Hunter - 16 pts, 4 rebounds, 45% and 36%.
John Collins - 12 pts, 8 rebounds, 49% and 23%.
Clint Capela - 11.5 pts, 11.8 rebounds, 62%
The bench:
Onyeka Okongwu - 7.4 pts, 5.7 rebounds, 65% overall in 20 minutes a game.
AJ Griffin - small forward, 16th pick in this year’s draft. 7.7 pts in 15 minutes, 49% and 36%.
Nobody else on their bench averages more than 6 points.
Clint Capela is the only center on their roster and he averages only 27 minutes per game. Okongwu, 6’8”, 240, is listed as a PF but I assume he plays when Capela is down since their combined playing time is 47 minutes. They have another big in Frank Kaminsky (7’0”) but he’s not in the rotation.
The last time Capela played the Cavs with Jarrett Allen at center he was held to 5 points and 7 rebounds in 31 minutes. Allen needs to be that effective on him tonight.
Offensively the Hawks are 26th in effective field goal percentage but 9th in points per game. The reason seems to be that they have the fewest turnovers in the league and they play fast. They run at every opportunity and are 2nd in shot attempts per game. Also, their offensive rebound percentage is a little above average. Capela and Okongwu combine for over half their offensive rebounds.
The Hawks are last in the NBA in 3-point attempts (28 per game) and 27th in 3-point percentage (32%). They don’t take many 3’s and miss a lot. They rank 3rd in points in the paint. This is a team that wants to take it to the hole.
This should be to the Cavs’ advantage with Allen and Mobley protecting the rim, assuming the Hawks don’t beat them down the floor.
The Hawks rank 7th in fast break points per game so they like to score in transition. The Cavs have had problems getting back on defense after turnovers and missed shots so they need to emphasize that tonight. Atlanta is in the half-court offense 77% of the time, 3rd fewest in the league, so they push the ball at every opportunity. They rank 21st in points per play in the half-court so the Cavs need to prevent the Hawks from running and make them walk it up.
The Cavs are below average (19th) in turnover percentage so they need to protect the ball. Last night they had too many turnovers.
The Hawks are only 27th at free throw attempts per play despite all those points in the paint. They are not a big team; Capela is 6’10”, Okonwu 6’8”, and Collins is 6’9”. Nobody else in their rotation is over 6’6”.
So the keys defensively for the Cavs are to defend the paint effectively, minimize turnovers, and get back on defense following missed shots and force the Hawks into their half-court game.
Defensively the Hawks are below average, ranking 20th in points per game and 25th in opponents’ points in the paint. Mobley and Allen should be able to score from the paint, especially when Capela is out. The Hawks’ emphasis on defense is the 3-point line - they rank 3rd in opponents’ 3-point percentage (32.5%). They are much better defending the perimeter than the paint.
The Hawks foul shooters a lot. They rank 8th lowest in fouls per play but 28th in free throws allowed per play, which tells me they don’t foul on the floor but foul in the act of shooting. They seem to have a “make ‘em earn it at the line” mentality.
The Cavs need to pound the ball inside and attack the rim, drawing fouls and scoring on layups and free throws while getting in the bonus early. The Hawks can’t fast break after free throws, so getting fouled also helps the defense.
Dean Wade, Kevin Love, and Caris LeVert are listed as game time decisions. A lot may depend on who is available for the Cavs.
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