The Atlanta Hawks (19-20) defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday night in an effort to sweep the home team against each other and extend their winning streak to five games. Atlanta beat the Sacramento Kings 121-106 on Saturday night after a balanced attack.
The Hawks were also able to control this game and claimed the 100-82 victory on the heels of a strong fourth quarter. It was a decisive game through three quarters, but Atlanta started a big run to start the final period and give enough separation so they could score their fifth consecutive win.
The first period was fairly up-and-down as Atlanta led by as many as 11, but the Cavs were just four points behind and trailing behind.
Danillo Gallinari, who started in place of Clint Capela (pain on the left heel), led all scorers with 10 first quarter points. Capela’s absence was already evident, as Cleveland had 16 points in the paint in the first twelve minutes.
Atlanta won the setback in the half, but the Cavaliers had 14 more paint points in the second quarter, earning them 30 of their 46 first half points in that area before halftime.
The second quarter, like the first, was played at a slow pace and fairly competitive. Trae Young had nine points and four assists in the first half, both of which scored his field goals in the second period. John Collins had a strong first half, with 13 points and 9 rebounds.
Atlanta led 49-46 after two quarters, despite shooting just 39.5% off the floor. They shot 14 free throws in the first half, making 13 of them, while Cleveland was 3-out-9 from the line just before halftime. The Falcons also scored the visitors 18-9 from behind the three-point line in the first 24 minutes of play.
The third quarter was another slow affair, with each team scoring just 13 points in the first 8+ minutes.
Nathan Knight continued his strong game in the third, with a total of 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks through three quarters.
It drew 20-20 for the period as the Hawks were 69-66 ahead after the fourth. Atlanta held the Cavs to just 5-of-20 shooting in the quarter and continued the strong defensive effort. The Hawks did benefit from Cleveland’s continued weak free throw shooting, as the Cavaliers missed five more free throws in the third time, making them 10-of-21 for the game. Most of the misses belonged to Jarrett Allen, who was 5-out-12 from the line to fourth.
Knight also started the fourth quarter, starting early in the fourth twice twice to the free throw line for four more points, and he recorded his season high of 16 points with 10:53 to play.
Atlanta took a 10-0 run in the first 1:51 of the fourth and led them 77-66 by 10:09.
The run expanded to 22-2 over the next few minutes, with Cleveland scoring just two points in the first 6:15 of the fourth quarter. The Hawks led 89-68 by 5:18.
Atlanta would maintain the lead and take home the 100-82 victory to extend their winning streak to a fifth game. Collins led all scorers by 22 points with a game-high 13 kicks, while Gallinari scored 20 points in his 28 minutes.
Young finished with 14 points and six assists as he rested when the Falcons pulled away in fourth place and didn’t have to do much. Knight finished with a career high of 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal. Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 12 points.
Collin Sexton led the Cavaliers by 15 points in an anemic offensive performance for the visitors.
The last time Atlanta won at least five games in a row was a 7-game winning streak from December 28, 2016 to January 10, 2017.
Atlanta now travels west Tuesday night for one game against the Houston Rockets, who lost 15 games.