Game Summary
The Cavaliers (19-8) host the Atlanta Hawks (6-20) Tuesday evening for the second-leg of their four-game homestand. Tipoff from The Q is at 7:00 p.m. (ET).
The Cavs' most recent victory came last Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers by a score of 105-98, which is good for eight-straight wins at Quicken Loans Arena.
In the victory over Philly, the Cavs' defense held Philadelphia to just two points (both free throws) and zero field goals in the final 4:42. The Wine & Gold dished out 26 assists on 36 made baskets and shot 14-29 (.483) from beyond the arc in the win.
Individually, LBJ had one of his best games of the season. James scored or assisted on Cleveland’s final 22 points and finished with his third triple-double of the season with game highs of 30 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists, to go along with a team-high three steals in 39 minutes. With 58 triple-doubles over his regular season career, James is now one shy of tying Larry Bird (59) for the sixth-most in NBA history.
With the win over the Sixers, the Wine & Gold have now won their last 14 out of 15 contests and hold the best record in the NBA since November 11th (14-1).
Over this extremely successful 15-game stretch, the Cavaliers have outscored their opponents by an average of 9.2 points (110.8-101.6), while also outshooting them from the field (.478-.448) and from three-point territory (.384-.332).
Cleveland has also reached the century mark in scoring in 20 consecutive games (since November 1st), which is now the 2nd-longest 100+ point streak in franchise history. The team record for number of 100-point games in a row is 36, set during the 1979-80 season (1/15/80-3/3/80).
A big contributing factor to this scoring spree is the Cavs' three-point game. The squad has made at least 10 three-pointers in a franchise-record tying 16 straight contests (since November 9th). They have accomplished this feat only two other times in their history (10/25/16-11/29/16 and 3/9/16-4/5/16).
As the Cavs look to continue their impressive home winning streak, they'll have to tipoff against the struggling, yet scrappy Atlanta Hawks who have already topped the Wine & Gold once this season.
The Hawks are led by a squad of sharpshooters, including the German-born Dennis Schroder. Despite their woes, Schroder and Co. have notched at least 10 three-pointers in 15 games this season for Atlanta.
The club's defense has also played well so far this season. In terms of turnovers, the Hawks are averaging 8.9 steals per game, which is good for ninth-best in the NBA. They've also swiped 10-plus steals nine times this season and have posted 20 turnovers five times as well.
Heading into Cleveland, the Hawks have only won three of the past ten games including their most recent matchup against the New York Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. In the loss, the Hawks saw four players tally double-digit points, as well as two players who notched 20-plus (Schroder-21, Ersan Ilyasova-20).
Where to Catch the Action
TV: FOX Sports Ohio
Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 La Mega
For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike and @chones22 on Twitter.
Probable Starters/Status Update*
#81 - Jose Calderon #5 - JR Smith #23 - LeBron James #99 - Jae Crowder #0 - Kevin Love G G F F C #17 - Dennis Schroder #24 - Kent Bazemore #12 - Taurean Prince #7 - Ersan Ilyasova #18 - Miles Plumlee
Status Update: (Cavs) - Isaiah Thomas, (Right hip, Out), Derrick Rose, (Left ankle sprain, Out), Tristan Thompson, (Left calf strain, Out), Iman Shumpert, (Left knee effusion, Out)
Status Update: (Hawks) - Mike Muscala, (Ankle, Out), Dewayne Dedmon, (Left leg, Out), John Collins, (Shoulder, Out)
*Subject to change.
Head-to-Head Matchup
The Cavs and Hawks are already very familiar with each other this season, having played one another twice so far. The Hawks won the first contest, 117-115, back on November 5th before the Wine & Gold snatched the second, 121-114, on November 30th.
In their last matchup with the Hawks, the Cavs shot 41-79 (.519) from the field and made a season-high 18 three-pointers. Cleveland also had a season-best 30 assists and outrebounded Atlanta, 40-29.
LeBron has had made the most of his contests with Atlanta so far this season. In both games, James tallied a double-double, scoring 26 points and 13 assists on November 5th and 24 points and 12 assists on November 30th. His field-goal percentage against the Hawks this season is an impressive .696 percent.
The Cavs and Hawks will round out their season series in less than two months when they travel back to Philips Arena for a February 9th battle in Atlanta.
On Deck
Following Tuesday's showdown with the Hawks, the Cavs will once again break out their black NBA Statement jerseys on Thursday for a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff from The Q is at 8:00 p.m. (ET). The Wine & Gold will then wrap up their four-game homestand on Saturday when they take on the Utah Jazz at 7:30 p.m (ET) at The Q.
FIND SEATS | FULL SCHEDULE