The Hawks' roll continues.
This time it was the Cavaliers that were run over.
The Hawks have won 16 of their past 18 games after Tuesday’s 109-101 victory over the Cavaliers at Philips Arena.
It was the second straight win, and fourth at home, over the Cavaliers, who were without start LeBron James. The Hawks (23-8, 14-3 home) entered the game with the second-best home record in the Eastern Conference.
Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 26 points. Jeff Teague added 23 points and Kyle Korver had 19 points in the victory. Mike Scott (12) and Dennis Schroder (11) scored in double-figures off the bench.
In a close game, the Cavaliers pulled to within two points, 95-93, before Millsap scored six straight points to give the Hawks a cushion with less than three minutes remaining. Teague added two baskets in the 12-4 run to cement the win.
Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers (18-13), losers of three of their past four games, with a game-high 35 points. Tristan Thompson added 18 points and 13 rebounds.
The game was announced as a sellout of 19,215, the third straight game the Hawks have fully packed Philips Arena. The last time the Hawks had three straight sellouts was the final four games of the 2009-10 season against Lakers, Pistons, Raptors and Cavaliers.
The Hawks closed the second quarter on a 14-5 run to take a 51-41 lead into intermission. Thabo Sefolosha punctuated the run with a steal and an and-one layup. It was the Hawks’ biggest lead in a back-and-forth first half that featured 14 lead changes and an eight-point Cavaliers lead.
The Hawks opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run to open a 17-point lead, 60-43. The Cavaliers cut their deficit to just five points, 78-73, heading into the final quarter.
Each team was missing a key player. The Hawks played without Al Horford. The starting center experienced nausea just prior to the game. He did not come to the bench and the team announced he would not return at halftime. Horford had averaged 17.9 points over the past seven games, including four 20-point plus games. Pero Antic started in his place. The Cavaliers were without LeBron James, who did not play on his 30th birthday due to left knee soreness.
“It has to when you are missing a player of the magnitude of LeBron and the multitude of things he does, that requires an adjustment,” Cavaliers coach David Blatt said before the game. “And also, you recognize that you are not going to have certain things. You make up for that with proper play, with grit, with attitude and with guys stepping up and giving a little more.”
The Cavaliers were also without Shawn Marion (ankle sprain). Kevin Love left the game in the second half with back spasms after scoring seven points on 1 of 8 shooting.
Next for the Hawks is a three-game West coast trip at the Jazz, Trail Blazers and Clippers that starts Friday.
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