Cavs – Hawks Game Day Notes

Tuesday, November 8th, 2016

WHEN: 7:00 PM EST
WHERE: @TheQArena, Cleveland, Ohio
WATCH: @FOXSportsOH, @NBATV
LISTEN: @WMMS 100.7 FM, La Mega 87.7FM

– Cavaliers (6-0, 1st in Central): The NBA’s defending champions are riding a six-game winning streak after their grind-out (102-101) win over the Philadelphia 76’ers on Saturday night, led by LeBron James’ team-high 25 points, 14 assists, eight rebounds, and two steals.

Despite their impressive first-half start, the Cavs struggled down the stretch. Philadelphia managed to climb from the depths of an 18-point first-half deficit to make things interesting in the final quarter of play.

Through the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, the Sixers went on a 16-9 run, taking their biggest lead of the game (96-91) with 6:10 remaining on the clock.

The battle ensued…

J.R. Smith then buried a clutch three-point shot with 2:50 remaining, regaining the lead for Cleveland (99-98).

However, Ersan Ilyasova, Philadelphia’s newly-aquired forward, answered Smith’s shot with a three-pointer of his own, giving the Sixers a 101-99 lead as time began to expire.

After a missed three-point shot from Smith with 15 seconds remaining, Sixers Head Coach Brett Brown called a timeout to draw up his team’s final play.

With 7.3 seconds on the clock and Cleveland holding a one-point advantage, the Sixers tried to inbound the ball to Joel Embiid, but failed. Subsequently, the inbound pass went to Sixers guard Gerald Henderson, who turned the ball over as he attempted a last-second shot.

James spoke with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin in a post-win locker room, saying:

“It’s always great to have these kinds of games. We will clean it up. It’s a great learning experience for us. I know we have room for improvement.”

With their win on Saturday, the Cavaliers are carrying a 6-0 record, marking the best start by any James-led team in his illustrious NBA career.

On a driving layup in the first quarter of Saturday night’s win, James (now 26,970 career points) passed Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon (26,946) for 10th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. James is now just 343 points away from 9th place (Elvin Hayes, 27,313).

LeBron James now 10th in career scoring in the NBA (26,947), passing Hakeem Olajuwon (26,946). Next up: Elvin Hayes, 27,313.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 5, 2016

LeBron James (@cavs): the only player in NBA history in top 10 of career points and top 20 of career assists

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 5, 2016

A humbled James spoke to members of the media with regards to his milestone achievement, saying:

“It’s a blessing and an honor.”

* Cavaliers projected starting lineup (subject to change) *

(PG) Kyrie Irving (6′-3″, 193 lbs)
(SG) J.R. Smith (6′-6″, 225 lbs)
(SF) LeBron James (6′-8″, 250 lbs)
(PF) Kevin Love (6′-10″, 251 lbs)
(PF) Tristan Thompson (6′-10″, 238 lbs)

* Cavaliers injury report *

– (None)

– Hawks (4-2, 2nd in Southeast): Atlanta will be seeking continued success tonight in Cleveland after their (112-97) victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday inside Philips Arena.

Three Atlanta starters breached the 20-point threshold on Saturday night, led by Paul Millsap’s team-high 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and five steals.

Dwight Howard tallied 20 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal in his first appearance against his former team.

Kent Bazemore turned in 20 points (three-of-four from beyond the three-point line), four rebounds, and three steals.

The Hawks have been excellent on the defensive end of the floor through their first few games of the season, averaging 11.4 steals per game before entering their match-up with the Rockets on Saturday night.

Atlanta made quite a few changes to their rotation in this year’s offseason. The most notable of said changes is the addition of Howard. Atlanta made the decision to “bring Howard home” in hopes of bolstering their front-court presence.

Hawks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer was recently quoted, saying:

“The roster changes were not made specifically to get past the Cavaliers.”

The Cavs have swept the Hawks out of the playoffs over the past two seasons. So, needless to say, they’ll be looking for improvement.

The addition of Howard should indeed improve Atlanta’s rebounding and shot-blocking capabilities. Furthermore, his presence in the paint will often draw a double-team, leading to open-look perimeter shots for Atlanta’s marksman.

Speaking of marksman, the Hawks will be without one of their best tonight in Cleveland. Kyle Korver will miss tonight’s match-up due to the birth of his third child on Sunday, Son Koen Korver. Atlanta will likely elect to give Thabo Sefolosha or Tim Hardaway Jr. the starting nod in Korver’s absence.

* Hawks projected starting lineup (subject to change) *

(PG) Dennis Schröder (6′-1″, 172 lbs)
(G/F) Thabo Sefolosha (6′-7″, 220 lbs)
(SF) Kent Bazemore (6′-5″, 201 lbs)
(PF) Paul Millsap (6′-8″, 246 lbs)
(C) Dwight Howard (6′-11″, 265 lbs)

* Hawks injury report *

– (SG) Kyle Korver (personal): Out
– (PF) Mike Scott (knee): Out
– (C) Tiago Splitter (hamstring): Out

* All stats and information via www.basketball-reference.com, www.rotoworld.com, www.nba.com, www.espn.com, Elias Sports Bureau, and The Associated Press *