The Atlanta Hawks were in Cleveland on Wednesday evening to face the Cavaliers. This is a matchup that has the potential to be a first-round playoff series, as the Cavaliers are more than certain going to be locked into the No.3 or No. 4 seed. As for the Hawks, all they have to do is win one of their remaining games and they’re locked into the top-six, and can finish as either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed.
These teams haven’t seen each other since earlier in the season, and both look completely different.
The Cavaliers came into this matchup with everyone available, while the Hawks were still without Jock Landale.
Onyeka Okongwu got the Hawks on the board with a dunk, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker tied the game with a three-pointer.
The offense struggled to start the game, and Dyson Daniels helped them get out of that rut with a three-pointer.
Jalen Johnson got things going on the block with this turnaround middy.
The Hawks were able to claw back to tie the game, and it was Jonathan Kuminga who was cooking late in the quarter.
The Cavs kept finding themselves at the free throw line which helped them stay in front, and the Hawks trailed 33-29 going into the second.
Kuminga continued his strong first half, bullying Evan Mobley for this layup.
Everything was falling for Kuminga, even this and-one over Dennis Schroder.
It was a back-and-forth contest between both teams in the second quarter, and there were several lead changes throughout the period. The Hawks were finally the team to break the game open, and they got a few shots to go in, while defending the Cavs well on the other end.
The Hawks grew a lead as much as 11 points, and they were able to find a rhythm down the stretch of the second. The Cavs did knock down a few shots in the end, but the Hawks still went into halftime with a 67-60 lead.
The Cavs kept their momentum going from the end of the first half, and cut down their deficit early in the third. Okongwu did his best to cut out some of that momentum.
It wasn’t enough, as Donovan Mitchell continued to attack, and the Hawks didn’t have much of an answer for him. James Harden started to get going, and the Cavs grabbed back the lead.
The Hawks played from behind most of the quarter, but didn’t let the game get out of hand early. As the quarter progressed, they did start to lose focus, which led to the Cavs extending their lead to double digits. Kuminga tried to keep the Hawks in it with this three-pointer.
The Cavs kept their foot on the gas, and they got their lead to 17 points going into the fourth.
Kuminga kept this strong play going to start the fourth.
The Hawks were down by 18 points in the fourth, but they started to find a way to cut down their deficit.
The Hawks kept it going in the fourth, and continued to cut their deficit.
The Hawks got it down as much as two points after this Kuminga dunk.
The Hawks had several chances to tie the game or take the lead, but they were not able to capitalize. Meanwhile, the Cavs kept making their way to the free-throw line, and they were able to seal the deal.
Alexander-Walker finished with 25 points, Kuminga 24 finished with 24 points, and Okongwu with 18 points.
The Hawks will be back in action on Friday against the Cavs.
