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 Atlanta forward Al Horford had a big night, and guard Kyle Korver
caught fire in the fourth quarter, sparking the Hawks to a 106-97
win over a laboring LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday
at Philips Arena.
Horford finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two
steals, leading the Hawks' inspired effort on a night the franchise
honored its greatest player, hall-of-famer Dominique Wilkins.
"It's a great night for Dominique and all the fans and the
organization," Hawks' second-year coach Mike Budenholzer said. "It
was a good atmosphere in the arena. I'm glad we could finish it in a
positive way."
Korver was 0-for-3 with only two points in the first three quarters,
but hit two 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the fourth
quarter to ignite Atlanta's closing kick. The Hawks opened the
fourth quarter on a 17-4 run. Forward Mike Scott came off the bench
to score 10 of his 14 in the fourth quarter, helping the Hawks pull
away from the Cavaliers for their sixth straight win.
"We lost some defensive focus the beginning of the fourth quarter,"
Cleveland coach David Blatt said. "We allowed them to get back into
their flow, and they're good when they play in a rhythm and they
move freely. That's what caused the turnaround in the game."
James was fidgety from the outset, constantly blowing on his hands
and readjusting his jersey. He bickered at the refs and even let
Hawks backup point guard Dennis Schroder get under his skin during
an atrocious first half by his standards. At halftime, James had
more turnovers (six) than points (five). He received a technical
foul in the second half and finished with 18 points, eight assists,
six rebounds and nine turnovers.
"Five of my nine (turnovers) were unforced, and four were attack
turnovers," James said. "But I suck as far as me turning the ball
over. I have to do better."
The Hawks led by 17 after the first quarter and 53-43 at halftime,
before the Cavs mounted a rally. Point guard Kyrie Irving led the
Cavaliers with 20 points. He jumpstarted a run in the third quarter
that saw Cleveland take a brief lead. But the Hawks answered and
took an 81-79 lead into the fourth quarter.
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It was the fourth meeting this season between the Cavaliers and
Hawks, but the first since Cleveland upgraded its roster with a
series of acquisitions that included guards J.R. Smith and Iman
Shumpert and center Timofey Mozgov. It wasn't enough to slow down
the Hawks (49-12), who now lead the Cavs (39-25) by 11.5 games in
the Eastern Conference.
Schroder did more than just irk James. The second-year point guard
also scored 15 points and dished out eight assists.
Atlanta forward DeMarre Carroll and backup Kent Bazemore split time
guarding James.
"We just played Hawks defense," Carroll said.
NOTES: The Hawks outscored the Cavaliers 54-24 in the paint. ... In
Wednesday's win over the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland F LeBron James
scored or assisted on 21 of the Cavaliers' final 25 points. ...
Friday's game concluded "'Nique Week," a tribute to Hawks great
Dominique Wilkins that was highlighted by the unveiling of a statue
of his likeness. ... The Hawks signed rookie G Jarrell Eddie to a
10-day contract Thursday. Eddie, a rookie out of Virginia Tech,
appeared in 37 games with the Austin Spurs of Development League,
averaging 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists. ... Referees
were Tony Brothers, Kane Fitzgerald and Kevin Scott.
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