The Atlanta Hawks were back in action on Thursday evening to face the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Hawks are coming off a loss against the Miami Heat last night where not much could go right for them on either side of the ball. The one bright spot happened to be Kingston Flemings, who had his breakout game, finishing with 23 points.
As for the Cavaliers, they’re also coming off a back-to-back, as they defeated the Washington Wizards 121-111.
The Hawks struggled against the Heat due to the likes of their
frontcourt, and the Cavaliers pose similar problems with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen down low.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker got things started for the Hawks with a 3-pointer.
It was another slow offensive outing for the team in the first quarter, as they couldn’t get much to go at the rim. The 3-point numbers weren’t bad, but they didn’t take that many to make a big difference.
That led the Cavaliers to grab a double digit lead toward the middle of the quarter, and the Haws found themselves fighting back. Going into the second, the Hawks trailed the Cavaliers 28-16.
It was a slow start to the second for the Hawks, but the bench was able to find a little bit of a rhythm to cut down their deficit. It was Aaron Wiggins who brought the Hawks life as the quarter continued, knocking down a few 3-pointers to bring them within striking distance.
The starters fed off that energy, and they were able to get stops on defense that led to their offense. Onyeka Okongwu made a layup to tie the game at 37.
The Hawks were able to take the lead a few possessions later, and even extend it a little further. Okongwu was able to get a few 3-pointers to go in after struggling with his shot to start the season.
The Hawks led 46-44 going into halftime.
It was a strong start to the third for the Hawks, and Okongwu continued his hot shooting from the 3-point line. They were able to maintain their lead throughout the quarter, and Okongwu brought his scoring inside the paint.
Wiggins and Jalen Johnson were able to knock down 3-pointers.
Even when the Cavaliers would made their run, the Hawks always had a response. To end the quarter, Flemings found Alexander-Walker on the break for a 3-pointer to give the Hawks a 89-82 lead going into the fourth.
The Hawks continued to stay afloat in the fourth, hitting timely shots and getting stops on defense. Wiggins was there when they needed him, and Johnson also was able to get some shots to go, inclding this dunk in transition.
The Cavaliers had one final run in them, and they made it close with less than a miniute remaining. With 20.6 seconds left, the Hawks led by one point, and that’s when the free-throw game came in. Alexander-Walker was able to knock down both to give the Hawks a 3-point lead. From there, all the Hawks needed was a stop on the other end, and they got multiple to seal the game in the end.
Okongwu finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds, Alexander-Walker finished with 25 points, and Wiggins finished with 20 points and seven rebounds.
The Hawks will be back in action on Saturday to face the New Orleans Pelicans.
