Atlanta traveled to the Midwest for their first matchup of the season with their inter-conference rival, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams had some offseason makeovers so it was a good litmus test for both clubs. Ultimately, the Hawks fell to the Cavaliers, 114-102, and while the final tally looked uncompetitive, this was a back-and-forth affair.
Rookie, A.J. Griffin logged his first start, covering for De’Andre Hunter who was ruled out of this one with an illness. Griffin followed up his Saturday night buzzer-beater against the Toronto Raptors with a solid outing, scoring 17 points on 63.6% shooting. Onyeka Okongwu also had a solid night off the bench, with and 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, in twenty minutes of action.
Atlanta dug themselves into a hole from the start, an alarming theme for the start of this season. Allowing the Cav’s to score 38 points in the first frame alone. However, when the bench unit came in, specifically Okongwu, Atlanta was able to cut the lead to just five in the second quarter. Jalen Johnson also
contributed a great first-half, scoring 8 points and snagging 2 steals.
Despite John Collins being in foul trouble and the bench unit contributions, Head Coach, Nate McMillian, decided to let Johnson sit for the large majority of the second-half. Okongwu played more than Johnson, but he still only managed to get minimal minutes in the second-half despite his hot start.
The game was back-and-forth up until five minutes left in the fourth. The Cavs backcourt helped stretch the lead and put the game away. Dejounte Murray had a night to forget, finishing just 11 points on 4-17 shooting. The Hawks offensive momentum came to a screeching halt in the fourth quarter, as Cleveland’s front court showed why they are one of the premier defenses in the league.
It was nearly impossible for Atlanta to find an open shot, with both Young and Murray getting rejected at the rim multiple times. Despite the off-shooting night, the Hawks have demonstrated that they can hang around in games, without their two stars doing particularly well.
Atlanta’s next chance to get back on track is Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings. Tip-off for that one is at 7:30 p.m. from State Farm Arena.
