Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction & Match Preview - December 19th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22

The Cleveland Cavaliers, the hottest team in the NBA right now, are looking to extend their six-game winning run against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. Cleveland will meet Atlanta for the second time this season and will be hoping to go 2-0 up in the series.

Following a win against the depleted defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers are expecting a sterner test against the Atlanta Hawks. Behind the impressive plays of Jarrett Allen, Cedi Osman and Darius Garland, the Cavs added another W to their win column. Nobody, probably not the Cavs themselves, saw them near the top of the East after a quarter of the season had been played.

The Atlanta Hawks were thoroughly dismantled by reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in their last meeting. They have also now lost six consecutive games at home, which should be cause for concern for Nate McMillan and the Hawks.

Trae Young has been his usual spectacular self but hasn’t had enough support in the last couple of games for the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks will need Clint Capela, John Collins and Kevin Huerter to step up for the Hawks to get back to their winning ways.

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Match Details

Fixture: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks | 2021-22 NBA season

Date & Time: Sunday, December 19th; 7:30 PM ET (Monday, December 20th; 6:00 AM IST)

Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

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Cleveland Cavaliers Preview

The Cleveland Cavaliers will not have Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro against the Atlanta Hawks. [Photo: King James Gospel]

The Cleveland Cavaliers hold a 19-12 record in the Eastern Conference standings, which is good for third place. Somehow, they have a very realistic chance of holding the best record if they can sustain their form.

The Land isn’t relying on the misfortune of others, though, to prove their worth. They have the fourth-best net rating in the NBA despite missing Collin Sexton for most of the season. Losing Evan Mobley to health and safety protocols could quickly alter that figure, though. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ second-ranked defense, behind Mobley's defensive brilliance, is forcing opponents to make some very awkward decisions.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be a force to reckon with if they develop better poise and execution in crucial moments of the game.

Key Player - Darius Garland

Darius Garland leads the Cleveland Cavaliers in scoring, assists and steals. His ability to generate offense off the dribble is almost as good as any in the game. Garland has started slowly this season but has found his rhythm as the season has moved forward.

Without Evan Mobley and Collin Sexton, the Cleveland Cavaliers will lean on him even more to lead this team in different ways. The win against the Milwaukee Bucks showed the 22-year old point guard at his best. He led the Cavs in scoring with 22 points, highlighted by 10-13 shooting from the field.

Without Jrue Holiday in the lineup, Garland sliced the Bucks’ defense every time he wanted to. He will have to be even better as the Cleveland Cavaliers are now starting to have their own virus outbreak.

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Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Lineup

G - Darius Garland | G - Denzel Valentine | F - Dean Wade | F - Lauri Markkanen | C - Jarrett Allen

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Atlanta Hawks Preview

The Atlanta Hawks' defense has to improve to be a legit playoff contender. [Photo: Peachtree Hoops]

After claiming a season-best seven-game winning streak, the Atlanta Hawks have since fallen to 4-6 in their last 10 games. Their defensive rating, during that span, has plummeted to 115.4, which would be the worst in the league.

A glaring weakness in the Atlanta Hawks’ play of late is their overreliance on Trae Young to set up their offensive system. In the game loss against the Denver Nuggets, the 23-year old superstar provided 10 of the Hawks’ 22 total assists. Atlanta’s offense stagnates when the sharpshooter is riding on the bench.

The Atlanta Hawks’ defensive focus and energy will have to drastically improve if they hope to win against the undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers.

Key Player - Trae Young

It’s not a stretch to say that Trae Young is the Atlanta Hawks’ offense. Young has been quietly putting up a very impressive season. He is currently the only player in the NBA that is ranked in the top five in both scoring and assists per game. The Hawks would be nowhere without his 27.3 points, 9.3 assists and 37.7% shooting from deep.

The four-year sharpshooter received fair criticism earlier in the season due to his poor three-point shooting percentage and inability to get to the free-throw line. He has responded by putting up his career-best three-point shooting efficiency with above-league-average free-throw attempts.

Trae Young has been ruled questionable heading into the game against the Orlando Magic. If he’s not cleared to play the game, no one can even come close to what he brings to the Atlanta Hawks.

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Atlanta Hawks Predicted Lineup

G - Trae Young | G - Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot | F - Kevin Huerter | F - John Collins | C - Clint Capela

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Cavaliers vs Hawks Match Prediction

Already without Collin Sexton for the rest of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers will now miss Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley for at least 10 days. Okoro and Mobley have played key roles in the Cavs' scintillating form of late, so their absence will be greatly felt by the Cavs as they face the Atlanta Hawks.

If the Atlanta Hawks play average defense, they should have more than enough to get past the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Where to watch the Cavaliers vs Hawks game

The NBA League Pass will stream the game live. Local coverage of the match is available via Bally Sports Atlanta and Bally Sports Ohio.