Cleveland was blown out by the lowly Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon, which has raised questions about head coach David Blatt's effectiveness in reaching the team.
Atlanta is rolling right now having won six of their last seven games, including a 90-85 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (18-12)
G Kyrie Irving – 20.2 ppg, 5.3 apg
G Mike Miller – 3.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg
F LeBron James – 25.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 7.6 apg
F Kevin Love – 17.1 ppg, 10.2 rpg
C Tristan Thompson– 9.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Atlanta Hawks (22-8)
G Jeff Teague – 16.6 ppg, 6.9 apg
G Kyle Korver – 12.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg
F DeMarre Carroll – 11.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg
F Paul Millsap - 16.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg
C Al Horford - 14.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg
What to watch for:
Who controls the paint?
Cleveland has had problems defending the post since starting center Anderson Varejao was lost for the season with a torn Achilles tendon, and Atlanta has two beasts down low in Horford and Millsap. If Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love are able to outperform those two, the Cavs will win this game. If not, they Hawks will probably come out on top.
Cavs defense vs. Hawks offense
Atlanta head coach Mike Budenholzer is a Gregg Popovich disciple, and the Hawks’ offensive scheme has a lot of the Spurs’ offensive principles. They’ve become so successful because of how they move the ball offensively and take advantage of the strengths of whoever they have on the court. Cleveland has gotten better defensively but they do struggle with their rotations at times. If they don’t play hard on that end of the floor, they’ll risk getting blown out.
Prediction: Hawks win 110-97
Cleveland is struggling right now, and the Hawks are not the kind of team they'll be able to get back on track against. Atlanta is playing some of the best basketball in the league and is great exploiting their opponents' weaknesses, and I don't think Cleveland will be able to score enough against the Hawks' tough defense to win.
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