Along the Hawks’ stretch run to the playoffs, the Cavaliers weren’t even a speed bump.
The Hawks led by as many 23 points en route to an all-too-easy 117-98 win over the Cavaliers Friday night at Philips Arena. The victory, coupled with a Knicks loss to the Wizards, moved the Hawks back into playoff position.
“I just think we should bottle it up and play like that for the remaining games,” Lou Williams said. “I think we played Hawks basketball tonight. Everybody did what they are capable of doing and it was one of the games that showed, coming down the stretch, we have to play like that.”
The Hawks (33-42) have a one-game lead (two in the loss column) over the Knicks (33-44) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks dropped a 90-89 decision to the Wizards Friday at home. The Cavaliers (31-46) dropped three games behind the Hawks.
The Hawks have seven games remaining in the regular season, two more than the Knicks.
It was just the eighth win for the Hawks in the past 29 games as they regained a playoff position they once held by a comfortable margin. The Hawks swept the season series with the Cavaliers, 3-0, as they never trailed.
“I wouldn’t say it was a statement but we took a step forward,” Paul Millsap said. “We came out aggressive. We came out moving the basketball. We helped each other on defense. Things we’ve been preaching to do all season and we did it tonight
“It says a lot, especially what we’ve been through. We are still here fighting for a playoff spot. It really shows the character of this locker room.”
Mike Scott led the Hawks with a game-high 26 points off the bench, including 18 in the first half, as he broke out of a late-season shooting slump. He made 12 of 13 shots from the field, including a 3-pointer. The Hawks’ bench finished with 54 points.
“I was in a little shooting slump but I kept being aggressive and kept getting extra shots (in practice) and they finally fell,” Scott said.
The Hawks also got double-figure scoring from Jeff Teague (20 points), Millsap (16), Williams (16) and DeMarre Carroll (13).
Teague finished with a double-double with 12 assists. He passed Joe Johnson and tied Walt Hazzard for sixth place in franchise history with his 32nd career point-assist double-double. Millsap had a double-double with 11 rebounds.
The Cavaliers had a two-game win streak snapped and lost for the second time in the past seven games. Dion Waiters led the way with 23 points. All-Star Kyrie Irving had just 13 points on 6 of 15 shooting.
The Hawks led by as many as 23 points in the first half. They set a season-best with 39 first-quarter points and took a 16-point advantage after the first 12 minutes. A 13-5 run to start the second quarter, including seven points from Scott, pushed the lead to 23 points, 51-28. The Cavaliers got as close as 14 points with a 13-4 run before the Hawks took a 61-49 lead into intermission. The effort was aided by nine second-quarter Hawks’ turnovers.
The Hawks shot 66.7 percent (14 of 21) from the floor in the first quarter including 6 of 11 from 3-point range. The Hawks scored 37 first-quarter points in a December win over the Cavaliers.
The Hawks started the third quarter on a 7-1 run to re-gain the sizeable advantage.
“I don’t think I want to read too much into it,” Kyle Korver said. “It’s good that we kept on fighting. It’s good to be healthy as a team. I thought our heads were in the right spot and that is what we need. Every game from here on out is going to be a big game. I don’t want to get too wrapped up in what this game says but it was a good game.”
The Hawks next play at the Pacers Sunday.
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