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The Cleveland Cavaliers head to the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, to battle the Atlanta Hawks in an NBA preseason game. After horrendous defeats in their opening games, both teams are looking to bounce back.
Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan will be leaning on his bench for production and minutes as his starting five, with the exception of John Collins, are recovering from injuries. The Cleveland Cavaliers, meanwhile, would need to sort out a few issues, including the logjam on the frontline.
Match Details
Fixture: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks | NBA Preseason 2021-22.
Date and Time: Wednesday, October 6th, 2021; 7:30 PM ET (Thursday, October 7; 5:00 AM IST).
Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA.
Cleveland Cavaliers Preview
The Cleveland Cavaliers opened their preseason campaign with a thorough thrashing at the hands of the vastly improved and retooled Chicago Bulls. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff will continue to carry out trials regarding his combinations and set plays. Based on the recent results, Bickerstaff and the rest of the bench tacticians will have their work cut out for them.
One thing to watch is the backcourt combo of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, which looks like a younger version of the Lillard-McCollum tandem out West. Sexton ramped up his production to a career-best 24.3 PPG and 4.4 APG last year. His scoring is a marked increase from his already solid 20.8 PPG average in his sophomore year. Sexton is projected to be a significant contributor to the Cleveland Cavaliers this campaign this season.
Darius Garland, the second-year guard out of Vanderbilt, is another up-and-coming guard who made the most considerable jump in performance last year. No less than Steph Curry was sure of Garland’s potential. Garland had career-high averages in points (17.4 PPG), assists (6.1 APG), and three-point shooting (39.5 3P%) with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The duo already have excellent chemistry and if they take further steps in their development, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have a very solid foundation.
If Bickerstaff can figure out the head-scratching frontline construction and personnel, the Cleveland Cavaliers could be more competitive this season.
Key Player – Collin Sexton
Collin Sexton is dynamic, scrappy and oozes talent. Comparisons to All-Star guard Devin Booker are well justified because of Sexton’s ability to score in different ways for the Cleveland Cavaliers. While he now mainly plays out of the Shooting Guard position after switching places with Garland, he is a very capable playmaker who can set up his teammates as well.
The next step in his development will be to remain efficient even with the increased usage and volume of shots. He has seen his three-point shooting and true shooting percentage decrease in each of his last three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
A more balanced production, particularly with Garland’s further improvement could see him become one of the toughest players to guard this season.
Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Lineup
G – Darius Garland | G – Collin Sexton | F – Isaac Okoro | F – Evan Mobley | C – Jarrett Allen.
Atlanta Hawks Preview
Unlike last year, no one’s sleeping on the Atlanta Hawks this time around. After dispatching the New York Knicks and then stunning the Philadelphia 76ers on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals, much is expected of Nate McMillan’s team heading into the 2021-22 season.
The Atlanta Hawks are easing several players into the rotation after recovering from knocks and injuries. That injury list just got longer with Atlanta’s best player, Trae Young, suffering a quad contusion. A convincing shellacking at the hands of the Miami Heat leaves no doubt that the Atlanta Hawks need to get healthy quickly.
In the talent-heavy East, getting a slow start could doom a team’s playoff hopes.
Currently in the preseason, McMillan will most likely give minutes to his rotation players such as Delon Wright, Solomon Hill and Cam Reddish. Atlanta Hawks fans are keeping an eye on a possible breakout year by Reddish. He will have plenty of opportunities to prove his worth because of injuries. If he puts it all together, the East will have another legitimate contender to deal with.
Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter could also see a few minutes of action as he rounds to form after a right knee injury sidelined him last season. If he plays, expect McMillan to pull him out very quickly.
Key Player – John Collins
Without Trae Young and most of the starters in the lineup, expect John Collins to ball out in his surely limited minutes on the floor. After a testy negotiation for a contract extension, Collins is here to stay and will look forward to becoming Young’s best partner.
The playoff battle with Giannis Antetokounmpo should pay dividends for John Collins. On the biggest stage in the East playoffs, he was solid, though not flashy. His competitiveness and scrappy style of play will only make his contributions more pronounced. Collins could potentially be the next star to emerge from the Atlanta Hawks’ roster.
Atlanta Hawks Predicted Lineup
G – Delon Wright | G – Lou Williams | F – De’Andre Hunter | F – John Collins | C – Gorgui Dieng.
Cavaliers vs Hawks Match Prediction
After both teams’ ugly opening to their pre-season campaigns, the Cavs and the Hawks will look to emphasize energy, defensive intensity and focus. Cleveland boasts a healthier team and probably a more talented team on paper, but with sizeable chemistry and rotation issues. Those will be the areas the Atlanta Hawks will look to target.
It’s very hard to predict a preseason game with the bench mob playing major minutes. The Cavaliers are playing their second game of back-to-back fixtures and are on the road, but are young and eager to make a point. Expect the Cleveland Cavaliers to beat the Atlanta Hawks in a close, back-and-forth affair.
Where to watch the Cavaliers vs the Hawks?
The Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks preseason game will be aired live by Bally Sports Ohio and Bally Sports Southeast. NBA fans will have access to the same game through the NBA League Pass option.
Also check out: Complete NBA Preseason TV Schedule for 2021
