The Atlanta Hawks have had bad losses to teams like the Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers this season. However, they also have great victories against the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and now, the league-best Cleveland Cavaliers. Atlanta accomplished the feat on the back of 20 made three’s, 39 assists on 46 field goals, and just 12 turnovers.
The Hawks downed Cleveland on the road after falling behind big in the first quarter. The Cavaliers got out to a 27-8 lead in the blink of an eye. Atlanta missed their first six shots from the field, including a few right at the rim. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley’s presence in the paint bothered the Hawks early. Atlanta did not have a two-point field goal in the first eight minutes of the game; instead, the Hawks got hot from deep. Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson hit two corner three’s to get on the board, and after De’Andre Hunter, Kobe Bufkin, and Bogdan Bogdanović came in off the bench, they went right to work. Atlanta started 4-9 from three-point range.
Hunter and Bogdanović were catalysts behind a 17-4 Hawks’ run to cut the deficit to 29-34. Bufkin nailed a corner triple to tie the game at 35, finishing off a massive 24-5 Hawks stretch to finish the quarter. 27 of those 35 tallies came from Atlanta’s bench, which significantly outplayed the Cavaliers’ reserves tonight.
After a wild first frame, neither team created too much separation in the second. Cleveland put the ball in Mobley’s hands and deployed shooters like Sam Merill, Georges Niang, and Ty Jerome to space the floor. All three sharpshooters hit two triples each on the night, but Bogdanović could not miss early. He was 3-3 from deep with 14 early points. Atlanta converted just four out of 17 shots at the rim but stayed in the contest because of their three-point shooting. Trae Young and Johnson connected on back-to-back alley-oops to highlight a 14-6 Hawks’ run late in the quarter. Cleveland held onto a 64-61 advantage at halftime.
Zaccharie Risacher came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders. He scored 13 straight points, including three triples, in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the third frame. Cleveland Head Coach Kenny Atkinson played zone defense to take the Hawks out of rhythm, but the road team continued to move the ball and find the open man. They grabbed a 98-95 lead heading into the final quarter with 30 assists on 34 made field goals.
After the Cavaliers threatened to go up by double-digits early in the fourth, Johnson splashed a three to stop the momentum. The Hawks then went on a 10-0 run to take a three-point lead. With Atlanta up 121-116 with three minutes left, Hunter finished a strong and-one layup over Mobley Allen to give Atlanta a cushion. However, two costly turnovers allowed the Cavaliers to cut the deficit to four. When it looked like the Hawks had lost momentum, Young hit a clutch logo three and found Onyeka Okongwu on a cut on the next two possessions, icing the game.
Young did not shoot well but recorded a career-high 22 assists – one shy of the Hawks’ franchise record. Johnson had 22 points (9-16 FG), nine rebounds, and seven assists, while Hunter finished with 26 points on 5-9 shooting from deep. Bogdanović and Risacher also added 17 points each.
On the Cleveland side, Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points (10-24 FG), and Mobley dropped 22 points with 13 boards. Darius Garland had 19 points and seven assists, while Allen recorded a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double.
A rematch between these two squads is set for Friday at State Farm Arena. It will be the final group stage game for the NBA Cup.
