by Athens, OH – It was a rough night all-around for the Cavaliers (42-35), getting trounced by the Atlanta Hawks (40-37) 131-107. Cleveland was hanging around in the first quarter, but the Hawks had a double-digit lead going into halftime, and never looked back. This is their fifth loss in their past six games, as their grip on home court advantage for the play-in continues to loosen down the stretch.
Cleveland’s injuries continue to haunt them on the court, as the team continues to be without Jarrett Allen (fractured finger), Evan Mobley (ankle sprain) and Dean Wade (torn meniscus). This is on top of Collin Sexton’s torn meniscus that has forced him to miss majority of the season. Unless this team gets a few of these players back by start of the play-in tournament, it’s going to be tough to even make it into the playoffs.
For Atlanta, they continue to be without John Collins (plantar fascia tear, damaged finger), who will be out for the rest of the season to undergo surgery. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari were also questionable going into Thursday night’s matchup, but were able to give it a go.
First Half
The Hawks got out to an early 29-19 lead with just over three minutes to go, in large part due to the play of their big man Clint Capela. He had eight points, nine rebounds, two blocks and an assist and a steal. Capela was all over the floor and dominated the interior early and often. Even with 7’2″ Moses Brown patrolling the paint for Cleveland, Capela took advantage of a severely depleted front court.
Darius Garland did everything he could to keep Cleveland in the game, dropping 12 of his 18 points in the first quarter, with three assists in the quarter. He continues to single-handedly carry this depleted roster’s offense, and he played well once again. He’s been especially good of late, as he set the franchise’s record for assists in a month, previously held by John Bagley.
Going into the second quarter down 36-28, Cleveland had to sit their all-star point guard, as he played the entire first quarter. Whenever Garland has taken a seat, the Cavs’ offense sputters terribly. However, Caris LeVert and an all-around team effort kept Cleveland hanging around, despite Garland’s brief rest period. Even when he came back, Atlanta continued their hot shooting. The Hawks shot 49% from the field, including 44% from deep with 17 three-pointers.
As the Cavs tried to fend off Atlanta’s red hot offense, they went into the halftime break with a 66-53 lead, as Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot nailed a three with time running down.
Second Half
The third quarter is where this game started to get truly away from Cleveland. All-star point guard Trae Young put up 15 of his 30 points in the third, which helped Atlanted go on a massive 16-4 run midway through the third that helped put the game away. Kevin Huerter also played a big role in this game offensively for Atlanta, scoring 23 points and continuing his streak of at least 20 points per game to four.
As Atlanta went into the fourth with a commanding 100-75 lead, both teams sat their starters for the remainder of the game. This led to extended garbage time run for several players, including Moses Brown, who finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, Cedi Osman, who led the Cavs in scoring with 21, and Onyeka Okongwu for the Hawks, grabbing a double-double of his own with 17 points and 12 boards. The Hawks would end up winning this game 131-107, and have won 9 of their last 12.
What’s Next
Of Cleveland’s last five games, there are two much easier ones than the rest. One of them is a Saturday matinee at New York to take on the Knicks. This game and their game against the Orlando Magic have to be must win games for Cleveland to solidify their chances at home court advantage for the play-in. Hopefully, the Cavs can get both Mobley and Allen back before then, but until they take the court, this team looks like they are in major danger of being one-and-done in the play-in.
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Photo Credits: Sports Illustrated
