Cavaliers take control with dominating win over Hawks

[May 23, 2015]  (Reuters) - LeBron James scored 30 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers, playing without an injured Kyrie Irving, cruised to a 94-82 victory over the Atlanta Hawks to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

In a game where the final score flattered the Hawks, Cleveland took control with a 26-21 first quarter and then blew the game open as they outscored Atlanta by 13 points in the third, leading by 20 at one point.

For the second successive game, injuries were a factor.

Point guard Irving sat out the game with a knee injury, while Atlanta's Kyle Korver missed the fourth quarter with an ankle sprain and Al Horford was briefly hobbled in the fourth quarter after he banged his knee.

Atlanta's DeMarre Carroll returned after leaving Game One with a knee injury but struggled in his defensive coverage of James, and finished with just six points.

James narrowly missed a triple-double with 11 assists and nine rebounds, while Tristan Thompson pulled in 16 rebounds.

Dennis Schroder had a team-high 13 points for Atlanta, while Mike Scott notched seven rebounds.

Atlanta, who finished the regular season with the best record in the East, now face the daunting prospect of having to claw their way back into the series as it shifts to Cleveland for Game Three on Sunday.

(Reporting by Cameron French; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.