Atlanta Hawks: Second Half Collapse Equals Second Straight Loss

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The Atlanta Hawks take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in a rematch from last week. The Hawks played their best game of the season in Cleveland, winning 133-111. The Cavaliers are off to an 0-6 start and have fired head coach Tyrone Lue. The Cavs will also be without star forward Kevin Love, who will miss at least a month with a foot injury.

Unfortunately the more the Cleveland Cavaliers lose, the more likely that the Hawks will have to wait another year for a shot at receiving the top ten protected draft pick, the Cavs owe Atlanta. If the pick doesn’t convey by the 2020 draft, it becomes two second round picks.

Starting guards George Hill and Rodney Hood, as well as backup guards Jordan Clarkson and Colin Sexton will be players the Hawks need to contain against Cleveland. Colin Sexton vs Trae Young part two, will be fun to watch as well. The two teams tip-off on Tuesday night at 7PM.

The Hawks must also pay special attention to center Tristan Thompson on the glass. High flying backup center Larry Nance Jr. must also be accounted for on the boards. Forward Sam Dekker, who is likely to start in place of Kevin Love and forward Cedi Osman must be respected as spot up shooters.

Taurean Prince leads Atlanta in scoring at 20.6 points per game, and is shooting nearly 47 percent from the field. Jordan Clarkson is the Cavaliers leading scorer at 16.2 points per game. He is shooting 50.6 percent.

Trae Young leads the Hawks in assists with 6.8 per game. Cedi Osman leads the Cavs with 3.7 assists per game.

Alex Len is Hawks leading rebounder at 6.0 per game. He grabs 1.6 offensive rebounds, and 4.4 defensive. Tristan Thompson is the leading rebounder for Cleveland. He is averaging 8.6 rebounds per game. 4.3 on each end of the floor.

Predictions

This game will certainly present the Atlanta Hawks with a great opportunity to get their third win of the season. I think the turmoil in Cleveland will be too much of a distraction for the Cavs. The Atlanta Hawks will move the ball more, and shoot the ball much better. They will bounce back and win by double digits.

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