Hot Cavs, cold Hawks
Cleveland arrives in Atlanta on a three-game winning streak. Atlanta is on a three-game skid. Both sides played Wednesday, so Thursday’s meeting at State Farm Arena is a back-to-back for each, and the start was pushed to 8 p.m. ET to free the building for the Dream’s WNBA Finals Game 6 earlier in the day.
The Cavaliers beat Washington 121-111 on Wednesday. Peyton Watson, who came over from Denver in the offseason, scored a season-high 22 points and passed 2,000 for his career. He averages 14 per game and said the team will not look past Atlanta, calling the 82-game grind tedious but part of the job.
Donovan Mitchell averages 24.7 points and has put up 26.8 across 20 career games against the Hawks. James Harden, at 15.8 per game this season, averages 25 points, 7.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds against them.
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Atlanta is searching for its early-season form
The Hawks opened 2-0, then dropped two to Houston and fell 129-117 to Miami on Wednesday. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo scored 24 each, and Miami shot 53.1 percent.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23, his most since a 31-point opener. First-round pick Kingston Flemings matched a career high with 23 as well. Jalen Johnson had 12 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.
Coach Quin Snyder wants the team to move the ball, run and swing it from side to side, saying Atlanta is competitive when it does and struggles when it does not. This is the first meeting of the season between the Eastern Conference teams. They split four games last year, each winning twice at home.
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