On Monday night, insult was added to injury when the Heat blew out the Hawks 125-99, following the early exit of Trae Young. Luckily, Young should be fine by the start of the regular season. Additionally, some key players are returning to action tonight for the Hawks. Here is everything you need to know about the second game of the preseason.
Background
You could be forgiven for not keeping up with the Cavs since LeBron James left for Los Angeles in 2018. Last night, they lost by 36 points in their preseason opener in Chicago. However, the organization has made a series of smart moves over the past several months.
Darius Garland and Collin Sexton make a competent and exciting backcourt. So, Cleveland's front office added depth to their frontcourt by re-signing Jarrett Allen, trading for Lauri Markkanen, and drafting Evan Mobley. Not to mention, Kevin Love is still on the books for another two seasons. The Cavs are still rebuilding and aren't making the playoffs this year, but they should improve upon their 22 wins last season.
On the flip side, the Hawks have completed their rebuild and have lofty goals for the 2021-22 season. But the team will not reach those goals until they get healthy and fix some glaring weaknesses exposed by their division rival Heat on Monday night.
Outlook
The plan all along for Coach McMillan is to give the rookies and younger players more playing time tonight. Young is doubtful due to the quad contusion, Bogdan Bogdanovic is out for rest, and Clint Capela is out as he recovers from the Achilles injury.
The good news is De'Andre Hunter is probable to play, and Kevin Huerter didn't appear on last night's injury report. McMillan's plan to stagger playing time in the first two games while preaching conditioning and chemistry is the right move. The Hawks must set a solid foundation before they embark on the arduous 82-game journey.
Although an official injury report has not been released by the Cavs, I doubt all of their players will dress tonight following the short turnaround from last night's game in Chicago. Ricky Rubio knocked knees against an opponent, and Tacko Fall didn't make the trip with the team. But, all in all, Cavs fans seem to be taking the blowout loss in stride.
Final Thoughts
Tonight's game tips off at 7:30 pm in State Farm Arena. Just 48 hours since the Hawks got ran off the floor by the Heat in Miami and less than 24 hours since the Cavs faced a similar fate against the Bulls. We can probably expect a sloppy game with plenty of playing time for the younger players on each team.
With that said, the Hawks need to see improvement in their execution and energy. Hopefully, we can see more consistency from Cam Reddish as he gears up from a crucial third season in the league. Lastly, it will be nice to get a look at De'Andre Hunter and Kevin Huerter as they return to the court.
Keep it locked in to AllHawks.com as we provide you breaking news and analysis of your Atlanta Hawks.
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