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Riding the high off of opening night, the Atlanta Hawks were humbled Saturday evening in Cleveland. The Cavaliers held on to beat the Hawks 101-95.
Trae Young and Cam Reddish lead the way again for the second straight game. Young finished with 24 points on 36% shooting and Reddish chipped in with 19 on 50%, respectively.
It was a back-and-forth affair until the Cavs pulled away in the third quarter. They were helped by a Hawks-scoreless drought which lasted almost five minutes during the third frame. Atlanta made it interesting and cut the Cavalier lead to only four with only minute to go, but ultimately fell short against a rebuilding Cavs team, who earned their first win of the season.
Rookie Evan Mobley for the Cavs, was a thorn in the side for the Hawks all night. He had an impactful 17 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes of action. Journeyman Ricky Rubio paced the Cleveland squad with an effective 23 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.
In a loaded Eastern Conference, the Hawks will need every win they can get. Losses like this, against an NBA-known, inferior team will not help the cause.
Per ESPN, Young said, “I’ve got to do better. I will do better. I just have to find a rhythm.”
The Hawks get another chance on Monday to get back on track against another rebuilding team in the Detroit Piston
