Atlanta Hawks Complete Weekend Sweep Of Cavaliers

On Sunday, the Atlanta Hawks attempted to win consecutive games against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Were they able to pull it off?

The Atlanta Hawks clinched a playoff spot over the weekend. Things haven’t been very pretty over the last month, but all the worrying is finally over. The Hawks will be in the postseason for the 10th straight season.

Entering Sunday’s game, the Hawks were on a mini hot-streak. Thursday they beat the second place Boston Celtics quite convincingly, and Friday they beat the first place Cleveland Cavaliers despite missing all five of their usual starters.

More from Soaring Down South

• Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
• Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
• When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
• Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
• Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal

Sunday brought a rematch with the aforementioned Cavaliers. Beating the Cavs once in a week is difficult enough. Beating them in back-to-back games would be an impressive accomplishment. Especially when Cleveland has revenge on their minds.

The Cavs came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. It looked as though they were looking to prove something to themselves, Atlanta, and the NBA in general. They were obviously embarrassed by Friday’s confusing loss.

Cleveland held a 38-21 lead after the first quarter. They made 7-of-13 three-point attempts in the quarter and got 15 points from Kyrie Irving. Irving was attacking relentlessly from the start, making his lackluster Friday night effort feel like a distant memory.

Atlanta’s offense lacked the zip and aggressiveness it had on Friday. They shot just 31.8 percent for the quarter and made 2-of-9 from outside. Paul Millsap looked rusty early on in his return to the starting lineup.

Things would not improve for Atlanta in the second quarter. The Cavaliers took a 65-46 lead into half-time. Cleveland shot 51.1 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from three in the half. Atlanta shot just 41.9 percent from the floor and 16.7 percent from deep.

The second half was like a completely different game.

The Hawks kept fighting, sending Cleveland’s once enormous lead to single digits late in the fourth quarter. Atlanta’s comeback bid appeared to be over several times, as Cleveland had several opportunities to put them away for good.

A Kent Bazemore corner three with less than thirty seconds left rimmed out, taking the air out of Philips Arena. It would have cut the Cavs lead to a single point. Tim Hardaway Jr. made 1-of-2 free-throw attempts with less than 15 seconds remaining to cut the Cavs lead to three points, keeping hope alive. Kyrie Irving responded by making a pair of free-throws to extend Cleveland’s lead back to five points. At that point, it looked as though the Cavs would survive.

On the next possession, LeBron James fouled Paul Millsap while shooting a three-pointer. Millsap made all three free-throws to cut the Cavalier lead to two points. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Kent Bazemore tied up Kyrie Irving to force a jump-ball.

A crazy scramble off of the jump-ball resulted in Paul Millsap knocking down a short-range jumper  as time expired to force overtime. Philips Arena erupted in shock and jubilation. Cleveland had a 26-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Atlanta outscored the Cavs 44-18 in the quarter to force overtime.

LeBron James fouled out early in the overtime period, giving the Hawks a huge advantage. It was a questionable call and one that King James did not approve of.

Paul Millsap’s three-pointer with 1:12 remaining in overtime gave the Hawks their first lead of the game at 118-116. Former Hawk Kyle Korver responded with a three-pointer of his own to give Cleveland a 119-118 lead with 1:01 left to play.

Kevin Love would then make 1-of-2 free-throw attempts to extend the lead to 120-118 with less than one minute remaining in overtime. Mike Muscala‘s corner three to answer gave the Hawks a one-point lead.

A steal and fastbreak layup by Kent Bazemore increased Atlanta’s lead to three points. It was a lead the Hawks would never relinquish, as they would come away with the unlikely 126-125 win.

The Hawks were able to complete the type of furious comeback we’ve seen from them so many times this season. This is a team that is often down, but never out. They once again showed that they can compete with any team in the Eastern Conference.

Cavaliers head coach Ty Lue didn’t take any chances, but Atlanta still completed the comeback. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving both played over 40 minutes and handled much of the offensive load.

James and Irving carried the Cavs. James finished with 32 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists. Irving dropped 45 points on 16-for-39 shooting. Let’s call this what it was. This was a collapse by Cleveland. They had the game in hand and they let it slip away. Of course, to give something away, someone has to take it from you. The Hawks grabbed hold of this game and finished the job.

Paul Millsap led all Hawks scorers with 22 points on 5-for-11 shooting. He was also 11-for-11 from the free-throw line. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 21 points, including the free-throws that sealed the game.

Kent Bazemore and Mike Musacala were crucial contributors off the bench. Bazemore scored 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting. Muscala scored 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including the go-ahead three-pointer in overtime that gave the Hawks the lead for good.

Something of note, Atlanta’s comeback came largely without Dennis Schroder and Dwight Howard. Schroder played just 27 minutes, while Howard played just 24 minutes. Schroder finished with 13 points, five assists, and three rebounds. Howard had 19 points, five rebounds, and a pair of assists.

The win brings Atlanta’s record to 42-38 overall and makes them 3-1 against the Cavs this season. They are in sole possession of fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a one game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks. Atlanta also holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Related Story: The Hawks Proved They Can Play Playoff Basketball

The Hawks play at home again on Tuesday against the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte has been eliminated from playoff contention so they no longer have anything to play for. The Hawks have yet to beat the Hornets this season, losing all three times they have played.

Next: Bembry Isn't Afraid Of Anything

Atlanta wraps up their season Wednesday on the road against the Indiana Pacers. After Wednesday, it’s all about the playoffs. It’s hard not to love this time of year. The NBA is heating up.