Game Time: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, February 15th, 2022 

Venue:  State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

Where to Watch:  NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread:  Cavs -1.5; O/U 221

BetMGM:  Spread:  NL

VegasInsider:  Spread:  Cavs -1.5; O/U 221

WynnBet: Spread:  NL

Cavaliers: 35-22, 3rd place Eastern Conference

Hawks: 26-30, 10th place Eastern Conference

An Eastern Conference team coming straight from the bizarro world!  Last season it was clear:  The Cavaliers were an awful “bottom of the league” team and the Hawks were the breakout team led by a young star PG ready to beat all comers!  These teams seemingly swapped places.  Like one of those terrible movies where a couple of ham actors spend half the movie trying to do an impression of each other in a “body switch” scenario… yuck.  However in the NBA, in real life, the concept is finally compelling.  Last season and now was separated by an off-season… over the offseason the Cavaliers traded well and drated well.  Their new frontline is made up of Center Jarrett Allen who looks like an all-star and PF Evan Mobley who looks like the rookie of the year (even though the Toronto Raptors’ Scotte Barnes looks like a ROY also).  The difference has opened up PG Darius Garland’s game.  Draius is absolutely the new Trae Young.  He scores, he dishes, no one of consequence would question his on-floor leadership of the team… and it has only been 1 year.  The rise of Darius Garland is proof that plenty of draft picks could become great if they are put into great positions and given support.  The Hawks on the other hand had ALL THAT last season when they jumped all over the league in the playoffs!  PG Trae Young led a group of quality big men and shooters into the playoffs on a head hunting mission… they collected a lot of respect along the way.  However this season they lost a lot of minutes to the injury list.  The Hawks most important player is not Trae Young.  Trae is great, but the Hawks most important player is De’Andre Hunter.  Hunter is a SF that plays both ends of the court.  Hunter is one of the now great former Lakers that LeBron should have held on to!  Hunter missed a lot of time… the Hawks were hit with Covid hard… lots of games were lost.  The Hawks are back now though. They are healthy… Bogdanovic, Huerter, Gallinari… and HUNTER.  The Hawks should rise in the standings before the season is over… the question is?... could it be at the Cavaliers expense?

The Cleveland Cavaliers have won 7 of their last 10 games.  They roll with authority.  However you can still see the age and experience on the young roster as the three teams that beat them are the Philadelphia 76ers, the Houston Rockets, and the Detroit Pistons.  To not be able to get up for the two worst teams in the NBA is a sign of a very inexperienced team.  All this roaster needs is time and development… and they need Kevin Love’s money off the books… whether it goes from trade or expiration… This becomes a very deadly team.  If they had the power to sign free agent veterans to fill gaps on the bench and experience in the team’s brain… they will dominate.  There is no reason to ever lose to this season’s Rockets or Pistons unless your leaders don’t have the words to keep the effort up! Shake out the impulse to play down to competition and this Cavaliers team competes for a Conference Championship… fail to do that and this is a nice one-year story.

The Atlanta Hawks have won 5 of their last 10 games.  They have had some trouble keeping PF John Collins on the court, he is out now with heel troubles.  They have had some trouble worrying about who will get traded and who will not.  I will always wonder what would have happened to this team had they turned John Collins, Kevin Huerter (who can not play defense, but is a good shooter), and Lou Williams plus some second round picks into… a big name player… or just future picks?  This team was faced with whether to build quickly or keep building over the long term… and they chose neither.  They are 5-5 ATS over their last ten games.  The numbers will tell you this is a good team until you look at the defensive ranking.

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The Cavs are 35-22 on the season, but 34-21-2 ATS.  They have logged 21 Overs and 36 Unders. They are 17-13 in road games.

The Hawks are 26-30 on the season, but 24-32 ATS. They have notched 30 Overs and 26 Unders.  They are 16-13 in home games.

The Cavaliers are 23rd in scoring with 106.5 ppg, 11th in rebounds with 45 per game, and 18th in AST/TO ratio with 1.7. They are … get this… 1st in defense in the LEAGUE.  They rank 1st on defense while allowing 102.1 ppg from opponents.  The reason the defense is so good is both Jarret Allen and Evan Mobley can blocks shots AND get their long arms into passing lanes. The addition of Caris LaVert is a big one.  Caris is a good scorer but also a quality defender.  Add all that to Darius Garland who can score and hold his own against other point guards in the league.

The Atlanta Hawks are 9th in scoring with 111.7 ppg, 19th in rebounds with 44.5 per game, and 4th in AST/TO ratio with 2.0. On defense… they aren’t yet.  They have a good defender in Hunter, but as a team they rank 23rd on defense while allowing 111.7 ppg.  The reason they are 10th in the weak Eastern Conference is THEY SCORE WHAT THEY GIVE UP.

Our prediction for Tuesday, February 15th is…. Cavaliers 112 - Hawks 100

The Cavaliers are ready to beat the Hawks especially without Pf John Collins.  Look for a big game from Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

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Cleveland is 13-4 ATS after covering 3 of their last 4 ATS this season.

Cleveland is 35 Over and 20 Under (+13 units) this season.

Cleveland is 5-2 ATS versus Atlanta over the last 3 seasons.

Both games in this series this season have gone UNDER.

Cavs: PF Lauri Markkanen (ankle) Out ** PG Collin Sexton (knee) Out for season

Hawks: PF John Collins (heel) Out

Cavs: PF Evan Mobley, SF Dean Wade, C Jarrett Allen, PG Darius Garland, PG Isaac Okoro 

Hawks: PF Danilo Gallinari, SF De’Andre Hunter, C Clint Capela, SG Kevin Huerter, PG Trae Young

Cavs

Points: Darius Garland 20.1

Assists: Darius Garland 8.0

Rebounds: Jarrett Allen 11.1

Steals: Caris LaVert 2.0

Blocks: Evan Mobley 1.7

Hawks

Points: Trae Young 27.7

Assists: Trae Young 9.4

Rebounds: Clint Capela 12.2

Steals: Malcolm Hill 1.3

Blocks: Onyeka Okongwu 1.4

Cavaliers: J.B. Bickerstaff

Hawks: Nate McMillan