Cleveland vs Hawks Prediction 31 January 2025

🔊 Will defense play a decisive role? Another NBA regular season game day will be marked by the clash between Cleveland and Atlanta. Both teams are proponents of an attacking style, accompanied by an abundance of long-range shots. However, the form of the opponents leaves much to be desired. It is predicted that there will be a shift in focus towards defense, excluding a reckless basketball game without regard for defense. The "Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse" will not witness another easy ride for its favorites.

📊 HEAD-TO-HEAD

The last meeting was won by the "Hawks" with a score of 117:101. Despite the rapid progress of the Cavs, Atlanta has defeated its rival in the last 3 head-to-head matches.

🏀 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

After a series of unsuccessful results, Cleveland is gradually getting back on track. They already have two victories under their belt: against Miami (126:106) and Detroit (110:91). It is obvious to us that the home team's attack has lost stability, resulting in noticeably more attention being paid to defense. On average, Cleveland concedes 112.1 points per game, which is the 11th result in the championship. Against a crisis-stricken Atlanta, it is quite possible to continue a successful series of matches on their half. Especially since Garland will not play - traditionally a weak spot for the team in defense. We understand that Cleveland will primarily try to play from the three-point line, which despite all problems continues to be the best in the championship: 39.5% accuracy. But against the bulky and athletically fierce "Hawks," it will be difficult to put on a showtime. Easy games for Cleveland are over, so total domination is no longer expected.

🏀 ATLANTA HAWKS

Atlanta found itself in a terrible state - they have suffered 6 consecutive defeats. In the matchup with Houston (96:100), the attack looked terrible. The same can be said about the games against Minnesota (92:100) and Toronto (94:117). We understand that sooner or later the visitors will break through. Until recently, they were among the best in offense. But the significance dropped to 115.3 per game (11th). Partly, this is due to the loss of key offensive players: Johnson and Bogdanovic. However, one cannot deny the athleticism of the Hawks' players. The coaching staff realizes that it is necessary to close the perimeter, which Risaše and Daniels will actively engage in. Since the team is one of the best in steals (10.4, 3rd), it is realistic to allow quality basketball on their half. But in offense, everything depends on Young - he tends towards long possessions, which means the likelihood of high scoring is close to zero.

📝 EDITORIAL PREDICTION

Bookmakers entirely consider Cleveland as favorites. The leader of the East deserves this status, but a series of misfortunes is possible. Offensively, things are not as good as before: at least because three important perimeter players will not be able to take to the court. Garland will be resting. Thus, firepower is significantly reduced. They will have to think about defense as well. Crisis-stricken Atlanta will try to respond with a high level of work rate and Young's magic. It has been working with significant interruptions lately, but there is nothing else to offer. Our editorial team doubts that the teams will score a lot - we suggest considering a bet on total under 235.5 points.