The Atlanta Hawks will travel to Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night for an Eastern Conference clash versus the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After suffering a four-game losing streak, the Hawks have bounced back wins in two of their past three games to improve to 13-17 on the season. Meanwhile, Cleveland comes into this matchup mired in a 10-game losing streak.
Can the Cavaliers snap their slide at home against the Hawks on Tuesday night?
Young's big night leads Hawks over Nuggets
Atlanta knocked off the Denver Nuggets 123-115 on Sunday night behind a strong performance from Trae Young, who led the team with 35 points and 15 assists on the night. Clint Capela added 22 points and 10 boards for the Hawks, who played their third straight game without head coach Lloyd Pierce. Atlanta was also missing forward D’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn, and Rajon Rondo.OH. MY. JC. 😱 pic.twitter.com/iYo5hVW571
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 22, 2021
Despite Young’s performance, his All-Star case might not be as clear as Hawks’ fans might have hoped. Over the past three games, Atlanta’s star point guard has scored 34.7 points per game on 62 percent shooting from the field. Young received only 20 player votes on the All-Star Game ballots, an indication that his fellow competitors around the league don't have as much respect for his game.
According to dunksandthrees.com, the Hawks have outplayed their current 13-17 overall record. Atlanta ranks 13th in the league with an adjusted net rating of +0.6 and it has fared well on both ends of the floor so far this year. The Hawks have scored 112.6 points per 100 possessions for the season, which ranks 12th in the NBA, and they own an adjusted defensive rating of 112.1, good for 16th in the league.
Cleveland still pursuing trade for Drummond
Cleveland pushed its current slide to 10 games on Sunday with a 117-101 loss versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. Collin Sexton finished with 27 points and Jarrett Allen added 26 points and 17 rebounds on 11-for-11 shooting from the field in the loss. The Cavaliers shot just 8-for-35 from 3-point range and turned the ball over 15 times on the night.Career-high 26 PTS
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 22, 2021
Perfect 11-11 FGM
Game-high 17 REB
Game-high 3 BLK@_bigjayy_ is the first player in Cavaliers history to tally at least 25+ PTS and 15+ REB while having a perfect FG% in a single game. (Elias Sports Bureau) pic.twitter.com/XSC6oaCqcv
The Cavaliers remain without a trade for Andre Drummond more than a week after announcing that they are no longer planning to play him. With the trade deadline still about a month away, there aren’t many suitors for the big man’s services. Dallas and Toronto are a couple of the teams that have an interest in acquiring the Cavaliers’ center, who was a bit part of the team’s 9-9 start to the season.
According to dunksandthrees.com, Cleveland ranks dead-last in the NBA with an adjusted net rating of -7.9. The Cavs have been the NBA’s worst offensive team, scoring a league-low 104.9 points per 100 possessions. They’ve also slipped defensively, posting a 112.7 adjusted net rating on that end of the floor.
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