A recap of the Hawks’ 109-97 loss to the Cavaliers Saturday:
Noteworthy
* The Hawks were banged up going into the game and it got worse coming out. Tiago Splitter was limited to nine minutes, all in the first half, with right hip soreness. Paul Millsap complained of right shoulder tightness after the game. Jeff Teague was forced to play more than anticipated and said his left ankle was tight. Mike Muscala walked with a pronounced limp postgame.
* Al Horford was a minus-26 for the game.
* Kyle Korver eclipsed the 9,000 career-point total and now has 9013.
* The Hawks had 22 assists on 32 field goals, four below their season average (second in the NBA).
* Millsap finished with a game-high four steals.
* Kevin Love has eight double-doubles this season and 302 for his career.
* Jared Cunningham, a former Hawk, had eight points for the Cavs.
Key stat
1
The Hawks held just one lead and by just one point in the game. It lasted all of 21 seconds. The Cavaliers retook the lead with 4:32 left in the first quarter, 19-17, and never trailed after only the second lead change.
Quote of the game
“I just don’t think it was right. I think a coach has a right to get upset. The ref probably thought he was a little too emotional. That’s why he maybe threw him out. That’s a big turning point in the game. Justin (Holiday) drives to the basket, gets hit in the face clearly and they should know better. Things like that they can’t miss those type of calls.” – Al Horford on ejection of Mike Budenholzer
Report card
Offense: D
The Hawks couldn’t get an offensive flow going, especially in the first quarter when they scored just 19 points. Save for a 33-point fourth quarter, they scored less than 23 in each of the first three periods. They shot 32 percent (21 of 65) through three quarters. They missed several layups.
Defense: D-minus
The Hawks allowed three quarters of more than 25 points, including a 30-point second and 32-point fourth. The allowed too many big runs by the Cavaliers – 11-0 in the first quarter and 15-4 in the third quarter were two. The rebounding disparity, 51-38, was an issue.
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