The Atlanta Hawks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-101 Wednesday night at State Farm Arena. On the second half of a back-to-back, the Hawks protected their home court, fighting off another comeback attempt. Unfortunately, Jalen Johnson went down with a right ankle sprain early in the second half to sour the victory. Hawks fans must keep a watchful eye on an injury update to determine if Johnson will miss time.
After struggling in New York, Bogdan Bogdanović scored Atlanta’s first two buckets. Both squads got off to hot starts. The Hawks knocked down five of their first six shots, and the Cavs made 4-7 from the field. Dejounte Murray’s triple, followed by a steal and fastbreak dunk, got the home crowd engaged early. The Cavs threw the first punch with a 10-2 run to take a 24-20 lead behind Darius Garland and Dean Wade’s threes. De’Andre Hunter continued his strong run off the bench, converting 2-3 from distance in the first quarter, giving the Hawks a 31-28 lead after 12 minutes. Neither than team led by more than four points, and Atlanta shot 57% from the field and beyond the arc.
Bruno Fernando brought the energy early. He almost threw down two monster dunks, but he got fouled and missed the next attempt. He flashed his ability to pass out of the highpost on two consecutive possessions, resulting in free throws for Garrison Mathews and a Hunter jam. Hunter scored the last five points in an 11-3 Hawks’ run to go up 42-33. Atlanta extended its lead to 14, and Head Coch Quin Snyder played Fernando 12 straight minutes due to his strong play. The Hawks attacked Georges Niang offensively throughout the game, as he had trouble keeping Atlanta’s perimeter players in front of him. When Caris LeVert entered, Saddiq Bey bullied him into the paint for easy looks at the rim. The Hawks built a 64-49 lead at halftime, holding the Cavs to 24 points in the paint. Bey and Murray scored 12, while Hunter led the team with 14 points.
At the 10:36 mark of the third quarter, Johnson sprained his right ankle landing after a tip-in attempt. Vít Krejčí replaced him for three minutres but never re-entered. After Murray scored two consecutive buckets on Isaac Okoro, Okoro took revenge. He converted back-to-back and-one fastbreak opportunities to pull the Cavs within 13. Cleveland got the deficit to single digits on a 17-5 run, punctuated by Jarett Allen’s alley-oop slam. He dominated the offensive glass and paint throughout the third quarter. The Hawks struggled generating quality looks on offense, managing just four points in a five-minute strtech. This allowed Clevland to cut the deficit to 84-40. Just before the frame ended, LeVert drilled a corner three just before the shot clock buzzer giving the Cavs an 89-87 lead after three quarters. The Hawks lost the frame 40-23.
The Cavaliers did not hold onto their brief lead. After a forcing turnovers from LeVert, Atlanta grabbed the lead right back playing quickly in the open court. Fernando’s steal led to a nice euro-step finish from Bey, giving the Hawks a 97-93 advantage. The Hawks clamped down at the three-point line, forcing the Cavs to shoot 0-8 from distance to start the frame. Bogdanović and Bey knocked down back-to-back triples for a 108-101 Hawks lead with two minutes left. Atlanta closed the game on a crucial 10-2 run to seal the win.
Bogdanović scored 19 points in the second half to finish with 23 points and six assists on 8-15 shooting. Bey added 23 (8-14 FG) points of his own, while Murray totaled 18 points and nine assists. Hunter dropped 17 points on 2-5 shooting from deep, and Fernando put up seven points, two steals and 10 boards off the bench.
Allen dominated in an 18-point, 19-rebound performance. Niang chipped in 13 points on 3-4 from distance, while Okoro finished with 17 points. Garland shot 5-14 from the field for 15 points, and LeVert scored 13 (5-17 FG). Craig Porter collected 13 points off the bench as well.
After a rough trip to Brooklyn, the Hawks bounced back with back-to-back victories. They aim for a three-game win streak on Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum.
