Cavaliers Blow 26-Point 4th-Quarter Lead, Lose vs. Hawks in Overtime

For the second time in three days, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Atlanta Hawks, doing so in spectacular fashion Sunday in Philips Arena. The Cavs surrendered a 26-point lead in the fourth quarter and fell 126-125 to the Hawks in overtime.

Paul Millsap sent the game into overtime with a jumper at the buzzer:

Miami Heat big man Hassan Whiteside was among those glued to the action while watching the game:

"

Yooooo this Cavs and Hawks game is Wow #CavsHawks

— Hassan Whiteside (@youngwhiteside) April 9, 2017"

The Hawks took their first lead of the game with a three-pointer from Millsap at the 1:12 mark of overtime. That put Atlanta ahead 118-116, and Kyle Korver quickly put Cleveland back on top 119-118 with a three-pointer of his own.

The Cavs couldn't maintain that position. Mike Muscala connected on a three-pointer to give the home team a 121-120 edge, and Tim Hardaway Jr. hit three critical free throws to preserve the victory. It was a historic comeback for the Hawks, as ESPN's Marc Stein noted:

Poor officiating was a theme late in the game.

SB Nation NBA highlighted how Millsap and Kent Bazemore were out of bounds when they forced the jump ball preceding Millsap's game-tying shot:

LeBron James also fouled out on a questionable call with 1:52 left in overtime:

Of course, the Cavs only have themselves to blame for the defeat. According to ESPN Stats & Info, an NBA team hasn't squandered a 26-point advantage in the fourth quarter since 2002, when the Dallas Mavericks lost 105-103 to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The defeat drops Cleveland into a tie with the Boston Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference. Turner Sports analyst David Aldridge provided what's ahead for both teams to close out the regular season:

It will be interesting to see if the Cavaliers keep their focus on clinching the No. 1 seed or choose to rest some of their stars ahead of the postseason.

After James and Kyrie Irving played 47 and 45 minutes, respectively, Sunday, giving the duo a break before the playoffs may be head coach Tyronn Lue's best decision in the long run. 

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