Predictions for the schedule and final score of tonight’s NBA Cup game

After Wednesday’s game, the Hawks and Cavs will face off in a rematch today, but the stakes are a bit higher. This will be a huge game in the Emirates NBA Cup and Atlanta would make huge strides towards winning Eastern Group C if they can get a win against the Cavs today.

On Wednesday, the Hawks pulled off one of the most improbable upsets of the NBA season. Cleveland was 17-1 and undefeated at home before the Hawks picked up the victory, improving their record to 8-11. A win today would give the Hawks their second win of the year against Cleveland and improve their record to 9-11, and if the Celtics defeat the Bulls, the Hawks will win East Group C and head to Las Vegas for the 2024 NBA Emirates Cup. Atlanta hopes to achieve some consistency and pick up some wins, but like Wednesday, it will be a formidable challenge.

Heading into tonight’s game, the Hawks rank 9th in the NBA in PPG, 17th in FG%, 19th in 3PA, 20th in 3P%, 5th in FTA, 23rd in turnovers and 10th in rebounds . For Glass cleaningAtlanta ranks 18th in points per 100 possessions, 19th in effective field goal percentage, 19th in turnover percentage, 8th in offensive rebound percentage and 10th in free throw rate.

The Hawks currently rank 28th in PPG allowed, 20th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in three-point shooting percentage allowed and 30th in three-point shooting percentage allowed. According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta ranks 22nd in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage.

The Cavs are 1st in the NBA in PPG, 1st in FG%, 12th in three-point shooting, 1st in 3P%, 26th in free throws, 20th in rebounds and 5th in in terms of losses. According to Cleaning the Glass, Cleveland ranks 3rd in points per 100 possessions, 1st in effective field goal percentage, 5th in turnover percentage, 23rd in offensive rebound percentage and 26th in field goal percentage free.

Defensively, the Cavs may not be as elite as they were a few years ago, but they are still very good. They rank 12th in PPG allowed, 12th in FG% allowed, 13th in three-pointers allowed, and 29th in three-point percentage allowed. According to Cleaning the Glass, Cleveland ranks 9th in points per 100 possessions and 13th in effective field goal percentage.

The Hawks offense blew away the Cavs in Wednesday’s matchup. Atlanta shot the ball 48% from the field and from three, winning the three-point battle against an opponent for the first time this year. Will they be able to repeat their performance today?

Trae Young led the way on Wednesday and had one of the best games of his career. He scored 20 points and a career-high 22 assists against the Cavs, and while his shooting still leaves a lot to be desired (6-18 from the field, 3-13 from three), Young showed on Wednesday why he’s one of the best point guards in the NBA and league leader in assists.

Dyson Daniels had a bad string of games offensively and scored 12 points on 4-11 shooting. He played solid defense against Donovan Mitchell and continues to be an impact player every night, but the offense is game-by-game.

Zaccharie Risacher still isn’t playing many minutes, but he was extremely effective for 17 minutes on Wednesday, especially early in the third quarter. Risacher finished with 17 points on Wednesday, but on Wednesday he scored Atlanta’s first 13 points in the third quarter to lead 5-5 in the quarter. Shooting is everything to Risacher now. He does a lot of things well, but when he’s not shooting, it’s hard to leave him on the court.

Jalen Johnson didn’t get the love that Young got for his performance last night, but he still finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Johnson was an All-Star level player this year.

The Hawks’ center position was their weakness and it showed on Wednesday. Clint Capela (who has been their best center this season) had two points and nine rebounds, but it was a poor matchup for him, with Onyeka Okongwu playing most of the minutes. Okongwu finished Wednesday with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists, so I’m watching to see if he plays the majority of minutes tonight.

While Young and Johnson were great on Wednesday, the bench was the biggest reason for the Hawks’ victory on Wednesday. Atlanta’s bench outscored Cleveland 62-28 on Wednesday night. De’Andre Hunter (26 points, 5-9 from three), Bogdan Bogdanovic (17 points, 3-5 from three) and Kobe Bufkin (nine points, four rebounds and 2-2 from three in 11 minutes) were phenomenal for the Hawks , but can they be as good today?

Cleveland had big games on Wednesday with Donovan Mitchell (30 points) and Evan Mobley (22 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals), but their bench was significantly outplayed and they lost the three-point battle. Today they will try to turn this situation around and they can do it.

According to them, Atlanta is a seven-point underdog against the Cavs Fanduel Sportsbook and the total is 246.5

Forecast

Can lightning strike twice? The Hawks had a big win over the Cavs on Wednesday, but I don’t know if I trust this team to get two big wins in the next two games. They haven’t been a cohesive team this season, and I think that even at home, Cleveland finds a way to expose Atlanta’s defense and win today’s three-point battle while limiting bench play.

Final score: Cavs 129, Hawks 122

Additional links:

The former lottery pick was considered one of the Atlanta Hawks’ top trade targets this seasonN

An NBA analyst considers Dyson Daniels to be the biggest surprise of the Atlanta Hawks’ season

The Atlanta Hawks’ rookie class receives high marks for its performance in 18 games