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Hawks vs Cavaliers preview: Atlanta looks to lock down homecourt advantage in Cleveland

The Atlanta Hawks look to keep their run going when they square off against LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

Cleveland Cavaliers v Atlanta Hawks Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The Atlanta Hawks look to lock down homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs Monday night when they travel to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers. Atlanta currently holds a one-game lead over Boston and Miami for the third spot in the East Standings with two games to play. The Hawks will clinch at least a fourth place finish with a win.

Monday's game also carries some importance to the Cavaliers as well. With a win, Cleveland will clinch homecourt advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Cavs enter Monday with a two game lead over the Toronto Raptors although Toronto holds the tiebreaker.

The Hawks have won three straight including back-to-back victories over the Raptors and the Celtics. While regular season games can often be classified as meaningless, a win on Monday could provide a confidence boost to Atlanta who have dropped the last six meetings with the Cavaliers. Cleveland swept the Hawks in last year's Eastern Conference Finals and has taken both regular season meetings this season.

Atlanta rallied from 21 points down before falling in overtime 110-108 earlier this month. Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague led the comeback for Atlanta while LeBron James just missed out on a triple double.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Monday, April 11, 7 p.m. ET

Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

TV: NBA TV, Fox Sports Southeast

Radio: 92.9 "The Game" FM