Game 19: Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks Preview
By Zak Kolesar
Apr 1, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks small forward Kyle Korver (26) reacts after knocking the ball out of bounds during the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
LAST TIME OUT
The Cleveland Cavaliers (6-12) put together their first winning streak of the season, beating the Denver Nuggets at home thanks to a dominant Wine & Gold frontcourt presence. The Cavs shut down effective bigs J.J. Hickson and Kenneth Faried at Quicken Loans Arena Wednesday night on their way to a 98-88 victory. Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao and Andrew Bynum tallied 41 boards on the night, two less than the Nuggets as a whole.
THIS TIME UP
The Opponent: Atlanta Hawks
Record: 10-10
Tipoff: Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m. at Philips Arena
Where you can watch: Fox Sports Ohio/NBA League Pass
Where you can listen: WTAM 1100
Previous Matchup: 102-95 Cavaliers loss at Philips Arena – April 1
Opponent’s Blog: Soaring Down South
Injury Report
Hawks: None
Cavaliers: None
Kyle Korver Goes For NBA Record
Over the past 89 regular season games that Kyle Korver has participated in, he has made at least one three pointer in those contests. After tying Dano Barros’ record of 89 regular season games with a three, Korver has the chance to claim the record as his own on his home court against the Cavaliers. This record is pretty impressive, as Barros and Korver stand virtually alone at the top of the list of players who have put together streaks of epic three-point shooting. The Cavs currently rank 21st in the league in three-point percentage, and Korver is coming off of a 6 of 9 night from beyond the arc against the Los Angeles Clippers. Since the streak began last season, Korver has shot a lights-out 45.9 percent from three. He’s shooting north of 50 percent from deep already this season, doing it from everywhere on the floor. This will definitely be one of the toughest battles for the Cavs Friday night.
Can The Cavs Win Another Battle On The Boards?
I think so, and it’s just not because Atlanta is currently ranked 27th in rebounds per game. When Varejao is coming off the bench, second units are getting swallowed up on the boards, especially when Tristan is spending some of his 35 minutes per game teaming up with Wild Thing. We know that Atlanta is going to kill this team from the perimeter; Cleveland’s perimeter defense, quite frankly, is atrocious at the moment. No guards seem to want to play help defense, and that’s a problem for all Wine & Gold members involved. The Cavs beat out one of the best rebounding teams on Wednesday with good positioning and multiple second-chance opportunities on the offensive glass. Those opportunities aren’t commonplace, but they can be tonight.
The Cavs Wish They Had A Guy Like DeMarre Carroll
Despite logging 30 minutes a night, Carroll is exactly what the Cavs wish they got from a player like Alonzo Gee. Carroll is in his fourth season out of Missouri, and currently averaging 10/6. Even though this has been the first season Carroll is seeing significant starting minutes, Gee does log 30-plus-minute games often, but, but puts up numbers like 5/4. A player like Carroll would be nice to have on our team to fill the small forward void, for now.
Prediction
The Hawks are going to kill it from the perimeter on Friday. Cleveland was horrendous from three Wednesday night and won’t be able to keep pace with Atlanta at home. I say that they come away with at least a 10-point victory in this one.