Hawks vs. Cavaliers: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season
While democracy was in full swing throughout the United States on Tuesday, the Atlanta Hawks toppled a King at Quicken Loans Arena.
Atlanta outlasted LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, 110-106. The Hawks handed King James and his teammates their first loss of the season and moved to 5-2 in the process.
While statement games don't usually come in November, Atlanta did control the majority of the contest against the team that swept it out of the Eastern Conference semifinals last season and Eastern Conference Finals in 2014-15.
The trio of Dennis Schroder, Kent Bazemore and Paul Millsap spearheaded the offense, with sharpshooter Kyle Korver absent because of the birth of his child, per Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Schroder finished with 28 points and six assists, while Bazemore (25) and Millsap (21) also eclipsed the 20-point barrier.
Dwight Howard patrolled the paint with 17 rebounds and three blocks.
Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 29 points on the other side, and Kevin Love added a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds. James stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals but scored just two points in the first half, which ESPN Stats & Info said was a bad sign for Cleveland:
The Cavaliers as a whole shot just 11-of-42 from three-point range (26.2 percent). The poor shooting from Cleveland helped Atlanta overcome 19 turnovers to the Cavaliers' six.
Atlanta received a scare in the first quarter when Mike Muscala fell hard on his back after a dunk. He remained down for some time, but he ultimately stayed in the game.
The Hawks shared the play:
Love built some early momentum with a dunk of his own and another basket off a beautiful outlet pass from James to tie the game at 13. James looked like the best quarterback in the city of Cleveland with the perfectly placed dish:
Despite the impressive plays from the James-Love combination, the Hawks staved off any extensive runs and ended the first quarter tied at 20. Schroder scored eight points and hit all three of his shots in the opening 12 minutes.
The stalemate continued throughout the early second quarter, but Iman Shumpert gave the Cavaliers a spurt with a three-pointer, steal and layup within 20 seconds. Irving hit a jumper on Cleveland's next possession to give the home team a 34-29 advantage.
Nate Duncan of The Cauldron reacted to the Cleveland run:
Things got testy when Schroder, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson all picked up technical fouls, and the Hawks responded with a 16-4 run to build a 45-38 lead. What's more, Atlanta kept James off the scoreboard until his mid-range jumper with less than three minutes remaining in the half.
The Hawks extended their advantage to 53-42 by the half thanks largely to strong play from Schroder and Bazemore. The tandem combined for 24 points and five made three-pointers, while Howard grabbed 10 rebounds. The team defense held Cleveland to 4-of-21 shooting from beyond the arc.
Atlanta dominated the early third quarter and built a 66-48 lead after a Bazemore jumper. Duncan pointed to Howard's interior defense as a key development:
James countered that by getting out ahead of Howard in transition and completing an and-1 off an Irving dime and drilling a three to trim the deficit to 10.:
James started attacking the rim off the bounce and dictated the tempo for stretches. His two free throws with 1:53 left until the fourth cut the lead to 77-73.
Threes from Smith and Channing Frye pulled the Cavaliers within two after trailing by as many as 18, but Bazemore converted three free throws to give Atlanta an 84-79 lead heading into the fourth. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com underscored why Cleveland controlled the closing stretch of the third:
It looked as if Atlanta survived Cleveland's best run when it opened the fourth quarter on a 12-2 run and enjoyed a 96-81 lead. However, the Cavaliers came storming back when Irving went on an 8-0 run by himself to cut the advantage to 96-89.
The NBA highlighted the guard slashing his way through Atlanta defenders:
Cleveland pulled within three, but Bazemore hit a critical three to give the Hawks some breathing room at 101-95. Schroder then hit a runner in the lane and a three-pointer with just more than two minutes left to open up a 106-97 advantage.
The Hawks responded to the apparent dagger:
It was far from over, though, as Irving and James connected on back-to-back threes to make it 106-103 in the final minute of the game. Millsap responded with a short-range shot, but Love converted an and-1.
Bazemore then hit a shot from the corner in the final seconds to clinch the 110-106 win.
What's Next?
The Hawks will ride the momentum from Tuesday's win into the second game of a back-to-back against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. They then face the winless Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
It is somewhat early to start thinking playoff positioning, but the 4-3 Bulls are one team Atlanta could battle with for a spot behind the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference pecking order, so the head-to-head showdown could carry weight.
As for the Cavaliers, they hit the road to face the Washington Wizards on Friday. It will be just their third road game of the season, and they won the previous two by a combined four points against the Toronto Raptors and 76ers.
Look for the defending champions to come out strong as they attempt to put their first loss behind them.
Postgame Reaction
Bazemore discussed the importance of the win, per Steve Herrick of the Associated Press (h/t ABC News): "They've dominated the Eastern Conference for a long time now. They're definitely the measuring stick, and we passed our first test tonight. For my two years here, they've kicked our butts. This is one of the biggest wins I've had since I've been here."
Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue praised Howard's presence on the blocks, per Herrick: "They have a dominant post presence. He's very physical. Sometimes he demands double-teams if he gets deep in the paint. He's going to drive fouls on your big men. They also have a shot-blocker."
James recognized the talent on the other side, per Herrick: "Give them a lot of credit. They played a heck of a game. You know toward the end of the season they'll be right there."
That's been the case the last two seasons, and Cleveland had no trouble getting past them. Tuesday was just one game, but Bazemore's comments indicate it was more than that for the Hawks.
