The Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks meet again Thursday in a game that is being framed as a possible first-round playoff preview, but the rematch arrives with a very different look for Cleveland. The Cavaliers, 51-29 and locked into a top-four seed, are expected to be severely shorthanded, with Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and multiple rotation players ruled out.
That changes the entire shape of a meeting that Cleveland just controlled, 122-116, earlier this week. Mitchell scored 31 points in that win, and the Cavaliers turned the game with a 44-20 third quarter. Evan Mobley is now expected to carry a heavier load as Cleveland tries to extend a run that has included four straight wins and six victories in its last seven games.
Atlanta has its own pressure. The Hawks are sitting around 45-35 and are in danger of slipping into the play-in, making every result at this stage matter more than usual. They have lost back-to-back games, even though they have been far stronger at State Farm Arena, where they have won 13 of their last 14 and averaged over 122 points per game during that stretch.
Read Also: Cavaliers Vs Grizzlies: Cavaliers Need One Win to Secure Home Court
That home success is the part Cleveland has to answer now, especially with the Cavaliers still having slight movement left to chase in the standings despite already securing a top-four spot. The first game showed how quickly the matchup can swing when Cleveland gets hot. The second may come down to whether Mobley can keep the pressure on a Hawks team that needs a win to steady itself before the final stretch.
