The Atlanta Hawks suffered a blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse Tuesday night. This game was competitive in the first half, but the Cavs blew it open in the third quarter thanks to Donovan Mitchell’s offensive explosion. Mitchell put up 40 points, 11 rebounds and three steals to lead his team to victory.
In the first quarter, Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela started off hot for Atlanta. Capela dominated Jarrett Allen down low, establishing position routinely off the pick-and-roll. Murray hit his first two shots in rhythm. After subpar performances last game, both players set the tone for the first half. Neither team pulled away in the first quarter, as the Hawks held a narrow 33-29 advantage. Murray and Capela finished eight points each, while Darius Garius and Donovan Mitchell both put up seven points for Cleveland.
Atlanta created the first separation in this game to begin the second quarter. Threes by Onyeka Okongwu and Saddiq Bey fueled a 12-2 Hawks run to take a 45-33 lead. However, excitement for Hawks fans was short-lived. Cleveland countered immediately with an 8-0 run with Max Strus and Georges Niang knocking down triples.
With the Hawks leading 51-43, De’Andre Hunter dislocated his right pinky finger on a drive to the basket. He left the game, and immediately, Cleveland went on a 17-2 run. Mitchell was getting to the paint at will throughout the latter parts of the second quarter. Hunter returned to start the second half with his finger taped, but not before the Cavs overcame a 12-point deficit to take a 64-61 lead at halftime. Mitchell led Cleveland with 17 and three steals, while Bogdan Bogdanovic put up 13 for the Hawks.
The Cavs opened up the third frame on fire. They went on an extended 21-4 run to balloon the lead to 85-70. Mitchell and Evan Mobley led this charge. Mobley had already grabbed 13 rebounds with time to spare in the third. Atlanta could not stop Cleveland on the perimeter or the paint, leading to a 38-point Cavs third quarter. The Cavs shot 71% for the quarter, as the Hawks trailed 102-90 heading into the fourth.
Unfortunately for the Atlanta fans, the Hawks never mounted a comeback strong enough to make the game interesting in the fourth. Trae Young struggled, shooting 3-14 from the field, and Murray never recaptured the magic from the first quarter, finishing 5-14 from the field. Head Coach Quin Snyder emptied his bench with just under four minutes to go, as Cleveland cruised to victory.
Atlanta’s backcourt struggled, as Murray and Young finished with 13 points each. Bogdanovic and Hunter both scored 18 points, while Capela finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Okongwu added 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Bey had 14 on 5-8 shooting.
For Cleveland, Mobley finished with a monster 17-point, 19-rebound double-double. Without Jalen Johnson, the Hawks really struggled to keep Mobley out of the paint. Darius Garland scored 19 points with eight assists, and Jarrett Allen had 11 points and eight rebounds. Hawks-killer Max Strus only scored 11, and Caris LeVert and Niang put up 10 and 12 points, respectively.
Without Johnson, the Hawks lack an important weakside defender to prevent easy pick-and-roll buckets for the opposition. Atlanta will travel to San Antonio on Thursday to face Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs at the Frost Bank Center. The Hawks need all hands on deck to control the rebounding battle against the Spurs and get back to their winning ways.
