Peachtree Hoops: Hawks weather the storm in 112-101 victory over Cleveland Cavaliers

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Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images

The Atlanta Hawks hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers on the second half of a mid-week back to back. The Cavaliers would be without Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Max Strus, while the Hawks would be without Trae Young, Onyeka Okongwu, Kobe Bufkin, and Dylan Windler.

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored the first two baskets of the game for the Hawks, coming off of a poor shooting game yesterday night against the Knicks. In game of quick pace, Dejounte Murray nailed a corner three, and followed it with a steal and dunk to take a 15-12 lead with still over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter.

DJ knocks down a 3, swipes a steal, and JAMS pic.twitter.com/9JFynsmwMT

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 7, 2024

Late in the quarter, De’Andre Hunter knocked down two three-pointers, including one to tie the game at 28. Johnson ended the quarter with his first triple to take a 31-28 lead entering the second.

Automatic Dr3 (feat. Jalen Johnson) pic.twitter.com/GLLaydvsbh

— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) March 7, 2024

De’Andre Hunter scored an and-one with roughly seven minutes remaining, and his free-throw pushed the score to 42-33 in the Hawks’ favor. The Hawks ended the half with a 64-49 lead, with Hunter, Murray, and Bey scoring in double figures.

Early in the third quarter, Jalen Johnson left the game with an apparent injury to his right ankle. He was ruled out with an ankle sprain.

Hawks forward Jalen Johnson suffered a right ankle sprain on this play, the team announced. pic.twitter.com/639cVCM2iK

— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) March 7, 2024

Vit Krejci then entered the game for the first time. The Hawks held onto 78-67 lead midway through the third quarter. Shortly after, the Cavs cut the lead down to single digits. The Cavs brought the game within a single point twice. With just 24 seconds remaining in the third, Caris Levert nailed a three-pointer to take the lead. The Hawks would go into the fourth quarter at a 89-87 deficit.

The Cavs missed their first eight three-point attempts of the fourth quarter, allowing the Hawks to secure a seven point lead with just over five minutes left in the contest. While Bogdanovic put together some timely scores, a three from Saddiq Bey increased the lead back out to seven, and the Cavaliers continued to miss shot after shot when they needed it most. A Capela lob to Saddiq Bey, and a De’Andre Hunter driving layup sealed the game.

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