With the Atlanta Hawks set to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Play-In Tournament, all eyes will be on this huge matchup. Ahead of the Hawks-Cavs game, we’ll be making our Hawks predictions. Trae Young and Co. cruised by the Charlotte Hornets in convincing fashion in the No. 9 vs No. 10 game on Wednesday night, led by 24 points and 10 assists from Young.
In fact, the entire rotation thrived as they ended up winning by 29 points.
Now, it's win or go home on Friday against Cleveland. Whoever comes out victorious here will lock down the No. 8 seed in the East and face the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. As we know, the Hawks are familiar with the big stage and will be very poised to book their spot in the postseason again.
Here are 3 Hawks predictions for the Play-In game.
Click here for odds on the Hawks vs Cavs play-in, courtesy of FanDuel.
Hawks Predictions for Play-In Game
3. Trae Young will score 30 and register at least 10 assists
By now, it's pretty clear that Young absolutely thrives when the lights are brightest. He averaged nearly 30 points per game in the playoffs last season and single-handedly helped the Hawks advance all the way to the Eastern Conference finals. Sure, he definitely had role players around him who did their job, but Trae was the main focal point.
The Hawks guard took a bit of time to get going against the Cavs, but he ended up putting up pretty solid numbers. With their season on the line here,
Ice Trae will show out. The Cavs aren't at full strength as Jarrett Allen continues to be out and even if he does return for this pivotal contest, the big man won't be at 100% from his finger injury.
Also, in the last three games vs. Cleveland, Young has dominated, putting up 30, 35, and 41 points, respectively. The Cavs are a team Trae is lighting up and with Atlanta's season on the line, he'll step up to the plate and have a massive night. When it comes to his playmaking, that's almost always a given. Plus, the Cavs have allowed 30 assists per game in their last three outings. Trae will score and facilitate at a high level.
The Hawks will shoot over 45% from deep
It's well known that Atlanta is a squad that relies heavily on the three-ball. they drain it at 37.4% clip, which is the second-best in the Association. The likes of Kevin Huerter, John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Lou Williams, among others, can all make it rain. This comes back to Young's ridiculous playmaking, finding his shooters countless good looks by collapsing the defense.
On Wednesday, the Hawks shot a blistering 50% from downtown (16 for 32), with Huerter and Bogdanovic combining for six triples on their own. Yes, the Hornets aren't a great defensive team, but it's hard to stop Trae from doing his thing and getting the shooters involved. The Cavs are 15th in the league in opponent three-point percentage but we know if Atlanta is going to win here, they'll have to be efficient from beyond the arc. After draining over 50% of their treys mid-week, it will be another banner night.
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Hawks will advance
Cleveland is a solid young team, but their injury luck has been awful. the Hawks have more experience at this stage after their heroic run in the playoffs. Sure, it wasn't a great campaign for Atlanta, but they managed to make a loud statement on Wednesday and the squad will carry the momentum into Friday night.
The Hawks have won their last three meetings against Cleveland, with their most recent victory coming by 24 points. The Cavs are a gritty team and shouldn't have any issues staying in this game just like they did vs. Brooklyn, but Trae Young's brilliance will push the Hawks past them and set up a first-round matchup with Miami.
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