Winners and Losers: Cavs vs Hawks – Donovan Mitchell erupts for 31 points
Mitchell flexed his muscles on the big stage.
Apr 8, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates in the third quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images The Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Atlanta Hawks in a potential playoff preview. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.
WINNER – Cross-Matching The Cavs started this game by throwing a wicked curveball at the Hawks. Rather than matching up by position, Cleveland elected to stick James Harden on Atlanta’s center, Onyeka Okongwu. What does this do?
Well, it allows Jarrett Allen to bump down and defend Dyson Daniels, a non-shooting threat who the Cavs are willing to ignore on the perimeter. That makes it possible for Allen to patrol the paint, while Harden just has to use his bulky, 6’5” frame to avoid being dog food. Okongwu scored 18 points, but wasn’t able to take advantage of Harden defending him.
Harden more than held his own in those individual minutes, and Okongwu isn’t a skilled enough scorer to justify the offense catering to him any more than it did tonight. We’ve seen other teams implement this same strategy. The New York Knicks love to use Josh Hart in this role.
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