While the Atlanta Hawks’ situation continues to get more complicated, the Cleveland Cavaliers are making their return to the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2018.
On Tuesday at Atlanta, Atlanta and Cleveland will conclude their three-game season series.
No. 1 are the Cavaliers (48-28). 4 in the Eastern Conference, and they beat the Houston Rockets 108-91 on Sunday to secure their playoff spot. In each of the previous four seasons, Cleveland did not reach the playoffs.
With six games remaining, the Hawks (37-38) appear to be headed for the play-in tournament for the second year in a row, where they are tied with Toronto for eighth place in the East and three games behind sixth place.
Atlanta lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 123-119 on Sunday, ending a streak of seven games in which it had won and lost. Atlanta plays four of its final seven games at home.
The first two meetings between Cleveland and Atlanta ended in a draw. On November 21, the Cavaliers defeated Cleveland 114-102, while the Hawks defeated Atlanta 136-119 on February 24. The last four meetings in Atlanta have been won by the Hawks.
Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points and Jarrett Allen scored 24 points for Cleveland on Sunday.
Mitchell wants to become the fourth player in NBA history to average 27 points, 1.5 steals, and make more than 200 three-pointers on 37% shooting. He would play alongside James Harden (2014–15), Paul George (2018–19), and Stephen Curry (2015–16). Mitchell is shooting 37.9 percent from three on 3-pointers and is averaging a career-high 27.4 points, 1.5 steals.
In a trade with Utah in September, Mitchell was acquired. He has playoff experience in addition to his offensive skills. The Jazz equipped for the end of the season games every one of Mitchell’s five seasons with the group and he has turned into a vocal chief for the Cavs.
Clint Capela and reserve Onyeka Okongwu have provided Atlanta with outstanding post-game play in recent times. Capela scored 17 points and grabbed 17 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers and 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds against the Memphis Grizzlies in the previous two games.
Over that time, Okongwu has scored 25 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, eight of them offensively. In the last eight games, he has had at least four offensive rebounds in six of them.
