National Basketball Association
Preview
Atlanta at Cleveland
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 30, 2025
Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio

Trae Young is confident the Atlanta Hawks will emerge better and stronger from their current rut.

That quest begins in Cleveland on Thursday against a Cavaliers outfit rolling again on the back of consecutive wins.

The Hawks' losing run stands at six games following Tuesday's 100-96 road defeat against the Houston Rockets.

Atlanta worked its way through a 16-point fourth-quarter hole to have a chance at a remarkable victory before De'Andre Hunter's wide-open 3-point attempt with 12.9 seconds remaining rattled out.

"It's tough but it's part of the NBA; you've got to dig yourself out of the holes that you put yourself in," said Young, who had 21 points and nine assists in his return after missing the Hawks' previous game in Minnesota with hamstring tightness.

"Sometimes teams just get put in holes and you've got to figure out how to find a way out of it. That's where we're at right now. We're on a losing streak and we've got to figure out a way to get back on the winning side, however it comes.

"Whenever you're fighting the way we're fighting, we're still giving ourselves a chance with everybody out there. It's a good sign, but you obviously want to win more games than lose. We'll be all right. Trust me."

Young is listed as probable for the trip to Ohio as he continues to manage his right hamstring, while Clint Capela (back) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (personal) have been ruled out.

The Hawks defended well for three quarters against the in-form Rockets but were ultimately left to rue inaccuracy from the perimeter. Atlanta made just 11 of its 47 attempts from 3-point range.

"I thought our looks were really good -- they weren't forced shots," Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. "I haven't seen the ball go in the hole as much as you'd hope, but other than wanting to shoot the ball better, I like the fact that we've continued to play and defend.

"There's a long runway for this team and this is a tough stretch right now. I've told the guys we have to keep grinding."

Atlanta has beaten Cleveland in both of their meetings this season and will catch the Cavaliers on the second leg of a back-to-back.

Cleveland cruised to a 126-106 win over the Heat in Miami on Wednesday, a margin sufficient for coach Kenny Atkinson to load-manage his team's minutes.

"The icing on the cake is I saved some minutes for our guys," Atkinson said. "We've got a look at big picture -- we've got the game against an Atlanta team that's beaten us twice."

Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points in what Atkinson described as "an elite All-Star performance," while Evan Mobley paired 22 points with 15 rebounds as he continues his to work into top form since returning from a calf issue.

"Better," Atkinson replied when asked about Mobley's performance. "(He) got to the boards, got to the rim, had a couple of dunks. I told him you're 75-80 percent of where you were, so I can feel it coming."

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W/L Strk Home Away Day Night Div Conf
Atlanta 22-25 L6 11-11 11-13 2-3 20-22 4-2 15-11
Cleveland 38-9 W2 22-3 16-6 2-1 36-8 8-1 25-6
Last Meeting
Atlanta Cleveland
Date Away Home Pts Reb FG% Pts Reb FG%
11/29/24 CLE 101 ATL 117 117 53 51.8 101 40 40.9
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Atlanta D. Hunter 23 58.3 5
Cleveland D. Garland 29 57.9 2
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Atlanta C. Capela 13 3 10
Cleveland E. Mobley 12 4 8
Assists Player  
Atlanta T. Young 11
Cleveland D. Mitchell 6
Season
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Atlanta T. Young 1014 40.3 261
Cleveland D. Mitchell 1124 44.7 161
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Atlanta C. Capela 426 153 273
Cleveland J. Allen 504 135 369
Assists Player  
Atlanta T. Young 513
Cleveland D. Garland 318
Quickchart Matchup
Atlanta Atlanta Off vs  Cleveland Cleveland Defense
Atlanta Off vs Cleveland - Points For 115.3 Points For
Atlanta Off vs Cleveland - Points Against 112.0 Points Against
Atlanta - FG% 45.8 FG%
Cleveland - FG% 46.0 FG%
Atlanta - Reb 45.4 Reb
Cleveland - Reb 43.5 Reb
Cleveland Cleveland Off vs  Atlanta Atlanta Defense
Cleveland Off vs Atlanta - Points For 121.9 Points For
Cleveland Off vs Atlanta - Points Against 118.1 Points Against
Cleveland - FG% 49.6 FG%
Atlanta - FG% 47.6 FG%
Cleveland - Reb 44.2 Reb
Atlanta - Reb 45.0 Reb