The Atlanta Hawks host the Cleveland Cavaliers for a rare Friday afternoon matchup on the day after Thanksgiving. That matchup comes less than 48 hours after Atlanta pulled off a significant upset in Cleveland, erasing a 19-point deficit and winning in runaway fashion. Beyond the intrigue of a second straight game against the East-leading Cavaliers, Friday’s matchup will double as the finale of the NBA Cup group stage for the Hawks.
The stakes
In short, the Hawks can earn a trip to the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Friday, though they will need a little bit of help. First, Atlanta must defeat Cleveland. If the Hawks did that, they would improve to 3-1 in group play, which is a key distinction. Then, the Hawks would be rooting for the Boston Celtics to defeat the Chicago Bulls on Friday evening.
If Atlanta wins and Boston wins, the Hawks would win the group and advance. If Atlanta loses, that will spell the end of the team’s 2024 NBA Cup journey.
The matchup
Atlanta showed on Wednesday that the team is capable of beating Cleveland and, in theory, the situation is friendlier on Friday. The biggest change is that the game is at State Farm Arena, which generally means a multi-point swing in the pre-game projections. Trae Young (Achilles) is listed as probable for the Hawks, with the rest of the injury report unchanged from Wednesday’s contest.
The Hawks won the three-point battle decisively in Cleveland, which was a refreshing change for the squad after very few of those instances to date. Still, it is an area to keep an eye on in the rematch, and the Hawks will also aim to improve on dismal shooting numbers at the rim on Wednesday.
