CLE vs ATL Dream11: Hello people, how is it going? The Play-in tournament will be over tomorrow and then we will hit the Playoffs territory. The remaining two games will decide the eighth-placed teams in the respective Conferences. Anyway, let us jump into the first of the double-header as the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Atlanta Hawks.
Cavaliers have not played an inspirational brand of basketball since March and as a result, first, they fell into the Play-in tournament bracket from the Playoffs and now they face an elimination game against a team that has played much better than them. Can the Cavaliers somehow manage to overcome the odds?
On the other hand, the Hawks have played some brilliant basketball. However, they are not a strong away from the home team and they can suffer on both ends of the floor. It will be interesting how they respond here considering this is an elimination scenario. However, Trae and co. will fancy their chances against the vulnerable Cavs.
Host: Cleveland Cavaliers
Visitors: Atlanta Hawks
Match Timing: 16 April, @ 05:00 AM
Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
Match-ups
The classic match-up here is surely between Hawks’ purveyor Trae Young and LaMelo Ball. Lately, Ball has picked up his game both in terms of scoring and playmaking while Trae has been one of the best in that regard. Both players are sure of a similar brand but perhaps Ball is a better defender, however, Trae has been scoring 30+ more often than the leading Point Guard for the Hornets. This has to be a decisive match-up.
The Point Guard battle between Trae Young and Darius Garland is a heated one for sure. Trae drained 24 points and 11 assists while Garland scooped up 34 points. Both players are sharpshooters and know how to set up teammates. Trae shot 1/7 from three in the last game but he knows how to recover. Garland has been the leading scorer for the Cavaliers and at home, he will be hungry to have another big night. Who will win this incredible battle?
The off-guard position is rich for the Hawks with Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic, although Bogdan is questionable for the game. Both players drained 13 points in the last game. On the other hand, off-guard Caris has struggled for the Cavs and shot below 40% again, but played a huge role in the rebounding and playmaking. This is one area where the Cavs need more here and Caris will have to turn up with an A-game here for sure.
The Center battle between Clint Capela and Evan Mobley is as exciting as it gets, while Capela is a better rebounder, Mobley is a better driver to the rim. However, I will give the defensive edge to Capela, especially considering his help defense. This will be the most physical battle here. And surely Kevin Love for the Cavs will come off the bench and help the matters as he will be boxing out Capela too while keeping him off the boards. Capela had 17 rebounds and 15 points in the last while Mobley had 19 points. Love had a huge game with 14 rebounds and 13 points.
Talking about Love, a Power Forward, the Hawks’ PF Danilo Gallinari has had some solid offensive outings and has always been a fantastic scorer. Danilo dipped in 18 points in the last game. This match-up in terms of perimeter shooting will be highly intriguing. This brings us to Lauri Markkanen, another PF who scored 13 while not shooting a high percentage but is an effective perimeter. There are also murmurs of Jarrett Allen returning to the game and if he does play, he can keep Capela busy on both ends which helps Markkanen, Mobley, and Love.
But then we have someone for the Hawks who can beat the Cavs’ Forwards with his speed and that is DeAndre Hunter, whose 16-point third-quarter performance(22 points overall) against the Hornets, bagged the game for the Hawks. How will the two benches respond here? Rajon Rondo dished in 9 assists for the Cavs in the last game, which will be needed against the Hawks team that can pour assists at a high rate.
Fantasy related tips: Minutes-distribution
If we take into account the last two games, let us first jump into the minutes distribution for Cavs and which players logged major ones. The Cavs gave around 40 minutes to Garland and LeVert. Whereas Love, Mobley, and Markkanen shared around 30 minutes. Rondo bagged 26 minutes while Osman 21 which left Stevens with just 7 minutes. On the other hand, the Hawks blew out the Hornets so the starters rested for the rest of the fourth quarter. If this is a close game then Young, Capela, and Hunter can end up playing around 36+ minutes while Gallinari and Bogdanovic around 30 minutes or so.
Performances Predictions
Leading scorer: Darius Garland: 33
Leading assists maker: Trae Young: 10
Leading rebounder: Clint Capela: 15
Result: Hawks: 118 Cavaliers: 111
Cleveland Cavaliers Team News
Cavaliers Expected Starting Five
Stretch-Four: PF: Lauri Markkanen
Two-way athletic Big: C: Evan Mobley
Defensive Wing: SF: Isaac Okoro (If Allen doesn’t play) / Inside Presence: Jarrett Allen
Isolation specialist: SG: Caris LeVert
Playmaker and major ball-handler: Darius Garland
MAJOR BENCH ROTATIONS(IN ORDER): Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo, Cedi Osman, LaMar Stevens, Brandon Goodwin, Dylan Windler.
Atlanta Hawks Team News
Hawks Expected Starting Five
Veteran Scoring Forward: PF: Danilo Gallinari
Slashing Wing: SF: De’Andre Hunter
Rebounding and defensive specialist: C: Clint Capela
Scoring Guard: Kevin Huerter
Leading scorer and playmaker: PG: Trae Young
BENCH: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, Kevin Knox II, Onyeka Okongwu, Delon Wright, Gorgui Dieng, Sharife Cooper, Skyler Mays.
Trae Young(ATL)
Points: 24
Rebounds: 03
Assists: 11
Blocks: 01
Steals: 01
Elite Point Guard Trae is the staple of the Hawks offense and his presence makes the Hawks a winning team. He can end up in the 27-34 points and 8-12 assists range here and can be chosen as a Star/Pro Player in the Dream 11 NBA Fantasy scenario. .
Expected Fantasy Points Range: 44-60
Darius Garland(CLE)
Points: 34
Rebounds: 01
Assists: 05
Steals: 02
Garland is running the show for the Cavs and has been their leading scorer and assists maker, who will again play a key role here. The Guard can be in 26-33 points, and 5-9 assists range.
Expected Fantasy Points Range: 38-50
DeAndre Hunter(ATL)
Points: 22
Rebounds: 07
Assists: 02
Slashing wing DeAndre exploded in the third quarter during the last game, giving the Hawks a big lead and he can be is a great rhythm again. I expect a 15-20 points and 4-7 rebounds range.
Expected Fantasy Points Range: 23-38
Evan Mobley(CLE)
Points: 19
Rebounds: 07
Assists: 02
Blocks: 02
Center Mobley will be matched up against Capela here and will have to be physical on both ends of the floor. He can be in 16-22 points, 6-9 rebounds, and 1-2 blocks range.
Expected Fantasy Points Range: 24-34
Jarrett Allen(CLE)
Allen MAY play here and if he does play, I expect a 11-16 points, 8-13 rebounds, and 1-2 blocks range.
Expected Fantasy Points Range: 20-30
Caris LeVert(CLE)
Points: 12
Rebounds: 07
Assists: 07
Steals: 03
Had iso Guard Caris been more consistent during the Regular Season, I am sure that the Cavaliers would have made it to the first round straightaway. Anyway, he still has a chance to prove himself and can be in 14-20 points, 4-7 rebounds and 4-7 assists range.
Expected Fantasy Points Range: 22-33
Clint Capela (ATL)
Points: 15
Rebounds: 17
Assists: 03
Blocks: 03
Steals: 02
Capela will be huge in the middle, matching up against Evan Mobley. He is a terrific physical and athletic presence, being a formidable rebounder, defender, and paint scorer. Clint can be in 14-18 points, 10-17 rebounds, and 2-3 blocks range.
Expected Fantasy Points Range: 26-42
CLE vs ATL Dream11 Team
(Recommended)
PG: R Rondo, C LeVert, T Young(SP)
SG: D Garland(PP)
SF: L Stevens, K Huerter
PF: D Gallinari
C: C Capela
(Alternate)
PG: R Rondo, T Young(SP), D Wright
SG: D Garland(PP)
SF: D Hunter
PF: L Markakanen, D Gallinari
C: K Love
Where to watch NBA Live Score?
The winner gets the eighth position and the loser goes home, will it not be interesting to see Trae and Darius trading buckets? I have some great news! You can catch the game on streaming services Jio TV and Voot while TV outlets MTV and VH1 will broadcast this game. To know the scores, stats, and news, visit the official website of the NBA.