Cavaliers host Hawks in potential playoff preview
The Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, where their likely opponent will be the Atlanta Hawks.
First, though, the teams have a home-and-home set to play, beginning Wednesday in Cleveland.
Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and the Cavaliers (50-29) locked up at least the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference two days earlier, while the Hawks are currently fifth.
The remainder of the regular season means considerably more to Atlanta (45-34), which is not assured of a top-six finish that would keep it out of the play-in tournament.
"We understand the position and the standings and all that," Hawks forward Jalen Johnson said. "Everyone knows the sense of urgency we've had since the All-Star break. We've got to take care of some things and go to Cleveland."
The Hawks entered Tuesday 1 1/2 games ahead of the sixth-place Toronto Raptors with three remaining. The Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic are all tied for seventh, a mere half-game behind Toronto.
Atlanta missed a golden opportunity to take a commanding hold on fifth on Monday, squandering a 10-point lead in a 108-105 home loss to the Knicks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 36 points and first-time All-Star Johnson had 21 points and 11 rebounds.
January trade acquisition CJ McCollum buried a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left to bring the Hawks within one possession, but his 50-footer off the glass that could have forced overtime was a split second after the buzzer.
"This is like a lesson, a good test for us heading into the postseason," said Johnson, who is averaging 22.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists. "The atmosphere was amazing at the end, big plays by both teams. I was proud of the approach of everyone on the team."
Atlanta's loss actually clinched home court for the Cavaliers, who were in the second half of their 142-126 road rout of the Memphis Grizzlies. Mitchell and Harden had the night off, but fellow veteran guard Dennis Schroder filled in with 22 points and 11 assists.
Memphis made an NBA-record tying 29 3-pointers, yet no one in the Cleveland locker room was concerned about it, given the circumstances. Craig Porter Jr., Larry Nance Jr., Tyrese Proctor and Nae'Qwan Tomlin all posted double-digit scoring off the bench.
"Good night for the Cavs. Fifty wins after a 17-16 start is a real credit to this roster," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. "Sure, we have the superstars, but we're also 15 deep. All of them are really good."
Though the Cavaliers are one game behind the third-place Knicks with three to play, New York owns the tiebreaker. There is a strong argument that they don't want to move up, preferring to potentially meet the No. 1 Detroit Pistons in the second round.
Atkinson plans to continue alternating days off for his core four, but each will see some action in the back-to-back set with the Hawks, which includes a game Friday in Atlanta.
Keeping Mitchell and Harden healthy, in particular, is critical with the status of rotation forwards Jaylon Tyson (toe) and Dean Wade (ankle) uncertain for the playoffs.
"One of the big positives about having to play so many guys because of our injuries is they're all ready," Atkinson said. "And it always comes up in the playoffs, so we're going to need some of them."