Trae Young

The Cleveland Cavaliers stunned Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks 101-95 on Saturday to grab their first win of the season.

Collin Sexton continues to be a significant factor for the Cavs early on, but it was Evan Mobley and Ricky Rubio who stepped up to help Cleveland improve to 1-2 on the season.

Notable Player Stats

Ricky Rubio, PG, CLE: 23 PTS, 6 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL

Trae Young, PG, ATL: 24 PTS, 1 REB, 7 AST, 3 STL

Evan Mobley, PF, CLE: 17 PTS, 11 REB, 1 AST, 4 BLK

Cam Reddish, SF, ATL: 19 PTS, 6 REB, 0 AST

Evan Mobley Impresses with Double-Double

2021 third overall pick Evan Mobley is going to be a star.

In just his third game of the season, the 20-year-old recorded a double-double and was arguably the most impressive player on the court against the Hawks.

He had no interest in seeing the Cavs lose their third straight game to open the season, and he was dominant for stretches Saturday night. He was particularly impressive just before halftime and in the second half:

While the Hawks kept things close through two quarters, the Cavs began to pull away in the third. Mobley's performance helped put the Cavs up 83-72 entering the fourth quarter, a lead they never gave up.

The youngster's big night was all the more critical as Cedi Osman and Isaac Okoro had a relatively quiet evening, combining for just 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Still, Mobley didn't do it all himself as the Cavs had several big contributors. Sexton, Ricky Rubio and Jarrett Allen were also effective against Atlanta, especially in the second half. They finished with a combined 46 points, 21 rebounds and 13 assists.

If Cleveland wants to continue winning games, they'll need similar performances from Rubio, Mobley and Co. as the season rolls on. The Cavs haven't made the postseason since the 2017-18 campaign, and while they aren't projected to do so this year, things are certainly looking up for the franchise.

Big Performance from Cam Reddish Not Enough

One of the biggest storylines entering the 2021-22 season for the Hawks would be if Cam Reddish would take a step forward this season. After an impressive 20-point performance in Atlanta's season-opener against the Mavericks, Reddish did not disappoint Saturday night.

Aside from Young, the 22-year-old was without a doubt one of the Hawks' best players in Cleveland.

Reddish helped the Hawks keep things close for most of Saturday's game, but he didn't receive much help from anyone not named Young.

Bogdan Bogdanovic played particularly poorly, finishing with just five points, two rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes, while John Collins, Gorgui Dieng and Kevin Huerter were nearly invisible. The trio combined for 15 points, 21 rebounds and four assists.

The Hawks might have had a better chance if Onyeka Okongwu and Danilo Gallinari were available. Okongwu is expected to miss at least three more months after undergoing surgery this summer to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Gallinari is also dealing with a shoulder ailment.

Atlanta can't continue to rely solely on Young if it wants to win an NBA title this season and will need other players to step up to avoid similarly disappointing losses in the future.

Collins told Chris Kirschner of The Athletic before the season that he believes the Hawks are "real contenders" this year, and they have plenty of time to prove it.

What's Next?

The Hawks move on to face the Detroit Pistons at home on Monday, while the Cavaliers will be on the road to take on the Denver Nuggets.

The Atlanta Hawks earned a 113-87 win over the Dallas Mavericks at home in the season opener for both teams on Thursday. Six players scored in double figures to lead the way for Atlanta, led by Cam Reddish's 20 points off the bench.

Hawks star point guard Trae Young had 19 points and dished out 14 assists.

The Hawks also played stellar defense and held the Mavericks to 33.3 percent from the field and 30.2 percent (13-for-43) from three-point range.

The win ends a two-game losing streak against Dallas for the Hawks, who were swept in last year's two-game regular-season series.

Notable Player Stats

Hawks

F Cam Reddish: 20 points off the bench

G Trae Young: 19 points, 14 assists

Mavericks

G Luka Doncic: 18 points (6-for-17 shooting), 11 rebounds, 7 assists

Hawks Blow the Game Open in Third Quarter

The Hawks took control and ran away with the game after halftime, opening the third quarter with a 22-8 run and outscoring the Mavericks 35-20 in the period.

Young, who was held to seven points in the first half, scored 12 points in the third and did a good job orchestrating the offense to set up his teammates for easy scores. He had nine assists in the third quarter alone.

The Hawks also clamped down defensively and made things difficult for the Mavericks both inside and outside.

Young wasn't very efficient, shooting 6-of-16 from the field. But the Hawks also received a ton of contributions from their supporting cast. Along with Reddish's 20 points, John Collins added 16 points and nine rebounds, Clint Capela had 12 points and 13 rebounds, and De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 11 points each.

The Hawks' balanced attack on Thursday should be their blueprint for success for the rest of the season. Atlanta's depth was on full display and the team was without veterans Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari, who both sat due to soreness. If the Hawks can keep this up, a second consecutive run to the Eastern Conference Finals is not out of the question.

Mavericks Doomed by Poor Shooting

The Mavericks opened the game going 7-for-26 from the field in the first quarter, and things never got better after that. Despite the outside shots not falling, Dallas kept chucking the ball from three-point range instead of attacking the basket.

Credit Atlanta's defense, which features two great rim protectors in Capela and Collins. Hunter also did an excellent job in his one-on-one matchup with Doncic.

Jalen Brunson had 17 points off the bench and was the only player to shoot efficiently, going 7-for-13. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting while Kristaps Porzingis was held to 11 points on 4-of-13 from the field.

Despite a new head coach in Jason Kidd, the Mavericks' offense didn't look much different from last year's. Doncic dominated the ball too many times and the team had no answers when the three-pointers weren't falling. Dallas will need to switch things up if they hope to make a run in this year's postseason. 

What's Next?

The Hawks will return to action on Saturday in a road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Mavericks will look to bounce back in Saturday's road matchup against the Toronto Raptors.

The Atlanta Hawks reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season and took the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks to six games, but All-Star guard Trae Young doesn't believe the Hawks are getting enough recognition.

"I don't think we get the respect we deserve. I watch a lot of TV. I see people mentioning all of the acquisitions everyone is getting. No one is mentioning us," Young said Thursday, per The Athletic's Chris Kirschner.

He added: "The Milwaukee-Brooklyn game, they mentioned how they were in the Eastern Finals. It was just mind-blowing."

Young also told Kirschner in a recent interview that he isn't content with how the 2020-21 season ended, and neither are his teammates. 

"I'm not satisfied. I know my teammates aren't satisfied," Young said. "We're very happy and humble to do what we have done and to achieve what we have achieved so far, but that's only making it to the conference finals. That's not the end goal for anybody. For us, we're not satisfied. We want more."

Young's comments are similar to what John Collins told Kirschner in an interview earlier this month. The 24-year-old said he feels the Hawks are "real contenders" this season, even in a loaded Eastern Conference.

Young was one of the main reasons why the Hawks reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season. He averaged 28.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 9.5 assists in 16 playoff games. Those numbers are better than what he averaged during the 2020-21 regular season. 

There's no reason to believe Young and the Hawks won't make another deep run in the playoffs. Most of the roster returns from the 2020-21 campaign, including Young, Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De'Andre Hunter and Clint Capela.

In addition, the Hawks should get solid contributions off the bench from Delon Wright, Lou Williams, Kevin Huerter and Gorgui Dieng, among others. The emergence of 2019 10th overall pick Cam Reddish will be critical for Atlanta too. 

Even if the Hawks don't win the NBA title this season, they have a bright future. Young is locked in on a five-year, $207 million rookie max extension, and Collins agreed to a five-year, $125 million deal in August. 

The Hawks' quest for a title begins Thursday when they host Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks at State Farm Arena to open the 2021-22 season. 

The Atlanta Hawks and wing Kevin Huerter have reportedly agreed to a four-year, $65 million contract extension, Huerter's agents told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

He is the second player from the team's 2018 draft class to sign a long-term extension, joining star point guard Trae Young, who signed a five-year, $172 million extension—that could be worth $207 million if he's voted onto one of the three All-NBA teams—in August. 

The Hawks also locked up John Collins (five years, $125 million) and Clint Capela (two-year, $46 million extension) over the summer. 

Young's max extension was a foregone conclusion, while keeping Collins was a priority and Capela's extension made plenty of sense, given how well he's played for the Hawks. But how much the Hawks would feel comfortable paying Huerter in an extension was a bigger question mark this offseason. 

The sharpshooter makes sense stylistically as another floor-spacer around Young, with the 23-year-old shooting 37.6 percent from beyond the arc in his career. He was solid for the Hawks in the 2020-21 regular season, averaging 11.9 points in 30.8 minutes per game. 

But he thrived in the postseason, coming up with some big-time performances in Atlanta's surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals, including a crucial 27-point outburst in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. the Philadelphia 76ers.

That game became infamous for Ben Simmons passing up a dunk in the fourth quarter—the aftershock of that moment is still rippling throughout Philadelphia—but Huerter's performance was arguably as big of a factor in the win. 

It was all the more important for the Hawks considering they were already without De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic was battling a knee injury and wasn't 100 percent. Huerter proved he could take on a bigger role for the Hawks moving forward. 

"With guys going out, we're definitely telling him we need him to be more aggressive and score the ball more," Young told reporters at the time regarding Huerter's performance. "He's been doing that and he did it tonight."

The Hawks are banking on him doing it plenty in the future, too.

The 2018 rookie class set an NBA record for contract extensions after Jaren Jackson Jr.'s four-year, $105 million deal with the Memphis Grizzlies took that draft class over a billion dollars in extension agreements, per ESPN's Bobby Marks.

That number could rise ahead of Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline for such extensions. The top overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Phoenix's DeAndre Ayton, is the most notable member yet to sign an extension.

Here are the extensions that have been signed:

• Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks: five years, $207.1 million
• Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks: five years, $172.5 million
• Wendell Carter Jr., Orlando Magic: four years, $50 million
• Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns: four years, $90 million
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: five years, $172.5 million
• Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets: five years, $172.5 million
• Robert Williams, Boston Celtics: four years, $48 million
• Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies: four years, $105 million

It remains to be seen if players like Ayton, Collin Sexton, Miles Bridges and Mo Bamba will come to agreements before the deadline. Don't expect 2018 No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III to sign a long-term extension with the Sacramento Kings, however:

The 22-year-old Doncic is the jewel of the 2018 draft class. He was the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year and is a two-time All-Star and two-time first-team All-NBA selection. He was dominant in the 2020-21 season, averaging 27.7 points, 8.6 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game, and heads into the 2021-22 season as one of the front-runners for MVP. 

But all eyes are on Ayton, who helped lead the Suns to the NBA Finals last season, averaging 14.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He has solidified the center position for Phoenix and fits the modern game with his athleticism, though he hasn't had the impact Doncic or Young did on their respective organizations. 

Ayton assuredly is seeking a max extension. The Suns appear to be balking at offering him one. He's trending toward becoming a restricted free agent after the season.

Today's NBA stars have turned drawing fouls into an art form. Exaggerated movements on shots. Flails and leaps into defenders. Locked arms on drives to the basket.

Familiar faces such as James Harden and Chris Paul have gotten so good at it that it's begun to feel like they're tricking officials into questionable calls (and viral highlights) on a nightly basis.

In the modern NBA, the offense virtually always has the advantage. When offensive players hunt fouls, the calls can take the teeth out of the league's best defenses. 

Harden, Paul, Luka Doncic and Trae Young are considered the game's foul-hunting poster boys. You may remember New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio calling out Young for his clever, perhaps cynical, perhaps strategic playing style in the first round of last season's playoffs. 

Of course, every player does it to a degree. But every fan hates it.

But this past offseason, the NBA finally decided to end foul-hunting. 

In late September, the NBA tweeted a series of videos outlining its concerns. From the couch, fans will need time to understand the new points of emphasis (and this by no means ends the discussion of how the on-court product can be improved. "Take fouls," we hope you're next).

But for now, a handful of superstars will feel the heat more than anyone else as they adjust to their new normal. 

The Kick-out Is Out

Shooters have been kicking out their legs to draw a foul for a long time, and the NBA has tried to crack down on it before. It was called the Reggie Miller rule because, well, it was his move!

All players kick their leg out a little while shooting to help with the arch on the shot. The problem comes when a player exaggerates the movement. At that moment, it is less about getting arc on the shot and more about getting the whistle. 

This season, NBA referees will look to reemphasize the Miller rule. This will affect a large number of shooters across the league, including Harden, Stephen Curry and Michael Porter Jr., just to start. 

In the video below, Harden has Hassan Whiteside on the perimeter. Watch carefully as he pulls up to shoot three. After the ball is released, Harden kicks his left leg out and lands on Whiteside's foot. That draws the whistle as the ball goes through the net, and it turns into a four-point play for the Beard. 

BR Video

Here's an example from the 2021 playoffs that the referees called correctly. The ball is swung in transition to Porter, who pulls up for three off the catch. As he is releasing the ball, he kicks his leg out to his side to make contact with a closing-out Damian Lillard. The officials immediately, and correctly, call this an offensive foul.

BR Video

Although a slight kick-out on a shot can be part of someone's form, the above shooters were foul hunting. These are part of the plays the NBA is trying to legislate out of the game to give defenses a chance. 

The Harden Hook

Hooking is not just a penalty in hockey. It has been a move several top NBA guards and wings have used to get to the line. It is a sneaky operation. As a defender extends their arm out, the offensive player uses their off hand to hook their arm before going up for a shot or driving to the basket. 

No player has perfected this like Harden, who finished seventh in the league in free-throw attempts per game last season. That is the first time since 2013-14 that he didn't lead the NBA—that season he was second to Kevin Durant. 

Here's a clear example of a Harden hook against Avery Bradley, then of the Houston Rockets. As the quarter winds down, just past half court, Harden hooks Bradley's right arm from below and goes into his shot. The referee immediately calls the foul on an irate Bradley. 

BR Video

Brooklyn Nets announcer Sarah Kustok even says after reviewing the replay, "Yeah, Harden does a nice job of hooking the arm of Bradley."

To be clear, Harden is not the only player who uses this move. He has just perfected it. The NBA Official Twitter account showed an example from the playoffs, when Paul George drew a foul on Donovan Mitchell using the off-arm hook.

Brake Check

Brake checking is another artisanal move mostly used by small guards. A guard will get past his defender and, as that player looks to make up ground, the dribbler suddenly stops, usually leading to the defender crashing in from behind, forcing the official's hand.

The mantle of the master of the brake check has been handed over to Young, who has drawn the ire of some opponents. During a December game against Brooklyn in which Young shot 16 free throws, Nets head coach Steve Nash complained to the refs "that's not basketball."

Many fell victim to Young's brake check last year. Against the Philadelphia 76ers below, Young pushes the ball up the court and survives everything around him. He looks back, senses Dwight Howard behind him and hits the brakes. Howard completely runs over him, and the officials have no choice but to call the foul. 

BR Video

Referees will look to cut down on calling fouls when the offensive players use a non-basketball move to initiate contact. That includes going sideways and backward. 

Jumping Forward

This is the most common foul-hunting move in the NBA. Multiple times per game, an offensive player gets a defender in the air and then launches into his opponent to get the foul call. All players are guilty of this action. 

Here's an example from the Western Conference Finals. See Paul jumping to his side to draw the foul on Reggie Jackson. The officials call it a non-shooting foul, so no free throws. 

BR Video

In the preseason, the referees are not calling this a foul. Curry learned that in the Golden State Warriors' exhibition game against Portland. He sets up Nassir Little for the step-back, and once Little jumps in the air, Curry launches into him—but no whistle. 

BR Video

Curry shared how he felt about that no-call on The Athletic NBA Show with David Aldridge and Marcus Thompson, saying: "That's kind of a judgement call, in terms of, is the defender truly stopping and still in legal guarding position, or am I the one truly initiating the contact? There's going to be that gray area there. Obviously, I lost that conversation."

Foul hunting is not a new phenomenon. Miller has a rule named after him. Dwyane Wade would launch himself at defenders on drives to the rim. Kobe Bryant would flail after shots to draw contact. The new generation of players have gotten much better at drawing fouls. It is why the NBA has put the new emphasis into effect.

Bleacher Report asked a Western Conference scout how the adjustments might change things. Their answer? "A lot. Not as many FTs." They also voiced a concern, saying: "I just hope the refs stay with it and not just [make it a] thing to start the season and let go after a couple of weeks. 'Point of emphasis' things tend to die out."

Curry, Harden, Young and Paul are extremely clever players. All four are basketball savants with plenty of hoops IQ to evolve as the game changes. They will adjust, but not overnight.

Lucky for them, the entire NBA will have to adjust too.                     

Can the Atlanta Hawks really compete for an NBA title this season? Veteran forward John Collins thinks so. 

Atlanta has most of the same roster from the 2020-21 campaign returning this season, and Collins told The Athletic's Chris Kirschner that he feels the Hawks are "real contenders," even in a tough Eastern Conference. 

"I definitely feel like we can get to the Finals. The East is loaded. Not to say we don't want to see Kyrie [Irving] play, but it helps us when we don't have to see a guy like Kyrie on the court," Collins said. "As a team, for us, staying healthy, adding depth, adding experience and chemistry [this offseason], we're not going to shorten the expectations for ourselves.

"Our goal is to get to the Finals. Losing is always a failure in our minds. If it's not a championship, it won't be good enough."

Atlanta made a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, knocking off the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers before falling to the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. So, there's no reason to believe they can't do it again in 2022.

Collins, Trae Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De'Andre Hunter and Clint Capela will be held to even higher standards during the 2021-22 season.

Collins, in particular, will have higher expectations this year after signing a five-year, $125 million contract during the offseason. He told Kirschner he feels he needs to improve his awareness in certain situations, such as having a quicker reaction time on the pick-and-roll and understanding an opponents' tendencies, though those things should improve with time.

Even with high expectations, the Hawks face an uphill battle in the East. The Bucks, 76ers, Celtics, Heat, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks should make things interesting again, though Atlanta did have the upper hand on Boston and Miami last season.

Regardless, it's important to point out that Collins has always believed in Atlanta's abilities. Following a win over the Brooklyn Nets in January, the 24-year-old told reporters the Hawks "are not a joke," adding he felt they proved they were "real contenders in the East."

Even if the Hawks don't win the title this season, they have a bright future ahead with their confident young duo of Collins and Young intact.