Here is a look at how the Hawks fared against the Cavaliers during the regular season.
Cavaliers 109, Hawks 97
Another loss in Cleveland. Another Hawks player or coach ejected. In the first game back in Cleveland after being swept in the Eastern Conference finals last season, the Hawks trailed by as many as 26 points in the loss Nov. 21. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was ejected after he bumped referee Ben Taylor while arguing a call in the second quarter. Al Horford was ejected in a Game 3 playoff loss at the Cavaliers just six months earlier. The Cavaliers went on a 16-2 run spanning the first and second quarters, and the Hawks never got closer than 12 points. Kevin Love led the Cavaliers with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Kyle Korver scored 14 points, including three 3-pointers, for the Hawks.
Cavaliers 110, Hawks 108 (OT)
The Hawks fell to 0-5 in overtime games with the loss April 1 in Atlanta when they couldn’t hold a fourth-quarter lead. The Hawks used a 19-4 run to go up four points before the Cavaliers rallied to take a one-point lead. Paul Millsap missed a drive to the basket, and the Cavaliers closed the game at the free-throw line. The Cavaliers outrebounded the Hawks 8-2 in overtime. LeBron James nearly had a triple-double for the Cavaliers, with 29 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists. Millsap had 29 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, and Jeff Teague had 28 points for the Hawks.
Cavaliers 109, Hawks 94
The Hawks lost their seventh consecutive game to the Cavaliers, including the postseason, on April 11 in Cleveland. LeBron James finished with 34 points, including three 3-pointers, six rebounds and six assists, and played all but 3:05 of the first three quarters. He was not needed in the fourth as the Cavaliers used a 20-5 third quarter run to go up by 17 points. Kyrie Irving had a game-high 35 points for the Cavaliers. Kent Bazemore led the Hawks with 23 points, 21 in the first half, and Jeff Teague finished with 21 points. The Hawks had a three-game win streak snapped and would end the regular season with a key loss at the Wizards that dropped them from the third seed and set up a second-round matchup with the Cavaliers.
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