Hawks vs. Cavaliers (7 ET, NBA TV)
Flying High
The Atlanta Hawks are hitting their stride at the perfect time. They ride into Cleveland on a three-game winning streak, which includes huge wins over the No. 2 seed Toronto Raptors on Thursday and the No. 4 seed Boston Celtics on Saturday. These wins gave the Hawks a 1.0 game lead over the Celtics and Miami Heat, who are tied for the No. 4 and 5 seeds with a record of 47-33. Since February 26, the Hawks have the second-best record in the league (17-5), best defensive rating (95.3) and best net rating (9.4). Atlanta has lost six straight games to the Cavaliers, so expect them to be extremely motivated tonight as they look to send a message to Cleveland before the playoffs. If the current seeding holds, Atlanta and Cleveland could meet again in the Eastern Conference finals.
Lock Up No. 1
The Cavaliers can secure the top in the Eastern Conference with a win tonight. They failed to clinch the spot against the Bulls on Saturday, which gave renewed hope to the No. 2 seed Raptors who trail by 2.0 games with two games left. The Raptors hold a 2-1 season-series lead over the Cavaliers, so Cleveland would fall to the No. 2 seed if both teams finish 56-26. You know LeBron James and the Cavaliers want this top spot locked up as soon as possible, so don’t be surprised if they play with playoff intensity tonight. A loss would be the third straight defeat for Cleveland, which would tie its longest losing streak of the season.
Strong April
LeBron James and Kevin Love are finding a groove over the past two weeks of action. In April, LeBron is averaging 27.5 points on 62.2 percent shooting, 9.0 rebounds and 8.3 assists while Love is tallying 20.0 points on 45.7 percent from the field, 48.6 percent from 3-point and 8.4 rebounds. This is exactly what the Cavaliers need from these two superstars and it will be interesting to see how they perform against the Hawks’ elite defense tonight. The other piece of the Cavaliers’ big three, Kyrie Irving, has struggled this month with averages of 18.0 points on 38.8 percent shooting. Cleveland will need more from him when the playoffs kick off this weekend.
Kings vs. Suns (10 ET, NBA TV)
Young Gunners
Stick around after the big Hawks vs. Cavaliers game for an exciting Western Conference battle that features two of the most exciting young players in the league. Phoenix Suns rookie Devin Booker has taken full advantage of his opportunities this season with averages of 19.3 points and 4.2 assists since the All-Star break. He has six games with 30 or more points this season and will look for another tonight against a Sacramento Kings defense that allows the most points in the league. Meanwhile on Sacramento, the MVP’s younger brother, Seth Curry, is starting to find some playing time with the Kings over the last few weeks. Since mid-March, Curry is averaging 15.2 points on 51.1 percent from the field, 54.3 percent from 3-point and 2.4 assists in 27.7 minutes. He hit a career-high six 3-pointers in the Kings’ win on Saturday and will look to continue this hot stretch against a Suns defense that allows the second most points in the NBA.
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NBA.com staff reports
