The Atlanta Hawks (19-20) faced the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night in an effort to sweep the house in a row and extend their winning streak to five games. Atlanta beat Sacramento Kings 121 to 106 on Saturday night, after a balanced attack.
The Hawks also managed to control this game, taking home the 100-82 victory following a strong streak in the fourth period. It was a tough game for three quarters, but Atlanta had a great run to start the final period, providing enough separation for them to reach their fifth consecutive victory.
The first period was of ups and downs, with Atlanta leading by 11, but the Cavs recovered and lost by just four points before the second.
Danillo Gallinari, who started in place of Clint Capela (left heel pain), led all the top scorers with 10 points in the first quarter. Capela’s absence was evident from the start, as Cleveland scored 16 points in the first 12 minutes.
Atlanta were winning the rebound battle at halftime, but the Cavaliers had 14 more points in the second quarter, giving them 30 of the first half’s 46 points in that area before the break.
The second quarter, like the first, was played at a slow and very competitive pace. Trae Young had nine points and four assists in the first half, scoring his two goals in the second period. John Collins had a strong first half, totaling 13 points and 9 rebounds.
Atlanta led 49-46 after two quarters, despite shooting just 39.5% from the ground. They hit 14 free throws in the first half, for a total of 13, while Cleveland only scored 3 of 9 on the line before the break. The Hawks also scored for the guests 18-9 behind the three-point line in the first 24 minutes of play.
The third quarter was another case of slow pace, with each team scoring just 13 points in the first 8 minutes of the game.
Nathan Knight continued his strong game in the third, totaling 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks in three quarters.
The draw ended 20-20 in the period, with the Hawks leading 69-66 to fourth. Atlanta held the Cavs with just 5 out of 20 shots in the quarter, continuing the strong defensive effort. The Hawks benefited from Cleveland’s continued lack of free throws as the Cavaliers missed five more free throws in the third, making them 10 of 21 for the game. Most of those losses belong to Jarrett Allen, who was 5 of 12 of the line that goes to fourth.
Knight also started to score in the fourth period, reaching the free-throw line twice for four more points early in the fourth, setting his season record of 16 points with 10:53 to play.
Atlanta had a 10-0 run in the first 1:51 of the quarter, giving them a 77-66 lead with 10:09 to play.
The race was extended to 22-2 in the following minutes, with Cleveland scoring just two points in the first 6:15 am of the fourth period. The Hawks led 89-68 with 5:18 to play.
Atlanta would retain the lead, taking home the 100-82 win to extend their winning streak to a fifth game. Collins led all scorers with 22 points, along with 13 rebounds, the best mark in the game, while Gallinari scored 20 points in his 28 minutes.
Young finished with 14 points and six assists, as he was resting when the Hawks retired in the fourth and did not have to do much in the final stretch. Knight ended his career record with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal. Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 12 points.
Collin Sexton led the Cavaliers with 15 points in what was an anemic offensive performance for the visitors.
The last time Atlanta won at least five consecutive games was a seven-game winning streak from December 28, 2016 to January 10, 2017.
Atlanta will now travel west for a game against the Houston Rockets, who lost 15 games in a row, on Tuesday night.