Atlanta hosts Cleveland in a huge Eastern Conference tilt Sunday afternoon at Phillips Arena. The Cavaliers enter the day just a half game ahead of Boston for the first seed and could be a full game ahead by the end of it. The Hawks can't get higher than a five seed and have clinched a playoff spot, but they are hoping to avoid a first-round meeting with the Cavaliers and Celtics. Atlanta has won two of the last three meetings against Cleveland. Tipoff for the contest is set for 3:30 PM Eastern time and the contest will be available on NBATV. FSN Ohio and FSN Southeast will be carrying it in local markets.
Cavaliers (51-28 overall, 35-41-3 ATS, 20-19 away, 1st Central)
This meeting in Atlanta will be a rematch from their 114-100 loss at home against the Hawks on Friday night. The loss broke a three-game winning streak for Cleveland. LeBron James (26.3 ppg, 8.7 apg) led the team with 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. He went a very efficient 12-for-15 from the field but missed four of six free throw attempts. Point guard Kyrie Irving (24.9 ppg, 5.8 apg) finished with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting and had a solid passing ratio of seven assists to one turnover. Power forward Kevin Love (19.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg) struggled a bit from the floor hitting just 6-of-17 and going 3-for-10 from downtown. He still finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Irving could be out of the contest on Sunday afternoon. He's dealing with soreness in an undisclosed knee and is listed as questionable. Center Tristan Thompson (8.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg) is expected to miss his third consecutive game with a thumb injury. He's currently listed as doubtful.
Hawks (41-38 overall, 37-42 ATS, 21-18 home, 2nd Southeast)
Atlanta thrived in their last meeting with Cleveland by hitting 50.6 percent of their shots and making 16-of-37 3-point attempts. Two players made four field goals from long distance. Shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (14.5 ppg) went 4-for-9 from downtown and finished with a team-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting overall.
Forward Mike Dunleavy (5.1 ppg) really stepped up off the bench being a more efficient 4-for-5 from downtown. He made half of the team's free throws (went 4-4) and finished with 20 points.
Hardaway Jr. joins the list of strong forward Kent Bazemore, power forward Paul Millsap, and point guard Dennis Schroder with knee and foot injuries. All four players are expected to be ready for the contest.
Cleveland is favored by 3 points on the road and the total O/U is set at 213 points. The Cavaliers are just 1-9-1 against the spread in their last 11 games after a double-digit loss at home.
