CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers remain short-handed, but a star guard will be returning to the lineup.
All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is expected to play Sunday, Nov. 2 against the Atlanta Hawks in what could be a playoff series preview, though both teams are dealing with a series of key injuries. Mitchell has been dealing with hamstring tightness. He’s going to test the hamstring during pregame warmups, and barring a setback, will play, according to coach Kenny Atkinson.
Here’s how the Cavs (4-3) beat the Hawks (3-4) at Rocket Arena.
The Cavs have taken down the Hawks, 117-109, to improve to 4-3 this season.
Donovan Mitchell finished with a game-high 37 points to go with five assists. Jaylon Tyson had another strong game with 18 points, three rebounds and two assists. Evan Mobley had 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell basically ran a pick-and-roll at the top of the key. Both Hawks defenders ran with Mitchell to the paint expecting a pass. Instead, Mobley squared up and drained a 3 that has given the Cavs a 109-102 lead with just over a minute left.
Mitchell has been too much for the Hawks tonight and is up to 37 points. Atlanta was determined to deny him the ball, and Mobley made them pay for it.
The next time down the floor following an Evan Mobley turnover, Lonzo Ball found Mobley under the basket with a nice pass that led to an easy dunk, and the Cavs lead 98-94 with 4:30 to go. Jaylon Tyson then found Mobley in transition for a layup to push that lead out to 100-94.
Craig Porter Jr. has three offensive rebounds tonight, and his effort has led to a couple more for others, and the Cavs are holding a 93-88 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Porter’s last tip on an offensive rebound eventually found its way to De’Andre Hunter, who buried a 3 to push the Cavs’ lead out to five points.
The Cavs momentarily pushed out their lead to double digits, but the Hawks finished the third quarter with a flurry to cut into the Cavs’ lead, which is down to 78-76 entering the final 12 minutes. Dyson Daniels had a 3-pointer at the buzzer erased.
For both sides, this has been a really ugly game offensively, which was also the case on Halloween night against Toronto. With Mitchell, the Cavs have had better ball movement, but their cold night shooting has wasted it.
Donovan Mitchell’s presence has made an instant impact on how the Cavs are moving the ball compared to Friday night against the Raptors. Cleveland still isn’t shooting well — now 38 percent from the floor and 30 percent from 3-point range — but Mitchell’s 21 points and four assists have given the Cavs a 66-63 lead midway through the third quarter.
Jaylon Tyson drained a corner 3 and is tied for the second-most points for Cleveland with nine tonight.
The Cavs’ ugly second quarter opened the door for the Hawks to take a 52-50 lead into halftime.
Donovan Mitchell has 13 points on 4-for-11 shooting from the floor to lead the Cavs. Cleveland shot just 8-for-29 from 3-point range. Larry Nance Jr’s tough start to the season has continued with an 0-for-5 effort thus far tonight.
The Cavs have gone cold from the floor, and Atlanta has used that to come back and tie it, 41-41, with 5:00 left in the second quarter.
Cleveland is just 4-for-13 from the floor and 1-for-7 from 3-point range, most of it occurring with Donovan Mitchell on the bench. Thomas Bryant has come up with a few blocks, and Jaylon Tyson has made an impact with six points in only four minutes on the floor, but aside from that, this second quarter has been ugly for the Cavs.
The Cavs lead Atlanta 31-22 after the opening quarter. Donovan Mitchell looks like his normal self and then some with a game-high 11 points, including three 3s in five attempts. Lonzo Ball also had a strong opening few minutes with eight points off the bench.
With Donovan Mitchell back on the floor, the Cavs offense is again firing on all cylinders. It had become rather stagnant against the Raptors. Tonight, the normal ball movement is back, in part thanks to Mitchell’s gravity. And with it, the Cavs are up 21-10 midway through the first quarter.
The Cavs are running the Hawks out of the gym to open this game and are up 10-0 early in the first quarter.
De’Andre Hunter has five of those points, including a 3 in transition to make it a 10-0 run. Donovan Mitchell also looks to be himself after missing some time with hamstring tightness.
Below is some pregame information.
Cavs injury report on Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill
While Mitchell is expected to play, center Jarrett Allen (finger) and Sam Merrill (hip) are out. Atkinson noted that if this was a playoff game, both would probably be available, but the Cavs don’t want to push things this early in the season.
Darius Garland (toe) and Max Strus (foot) remain out.
Cavs agree to deal with Chris Livingston
The Cavs and former Buchtel player Chris Livingston have agree to terms on a two-way deal, though the team has not made the signing official.
How can I watch/stream/listen to the Cavs vs Raptors game?
The Nov. 2 Cavs-Hawks game can be viewed locally on the FanDuel Sports Network — Ohio. It can heard on the radio on 100.7 WMMS, 1100 WTAM and S: LA MEGA 1300.
