The Hawks held the Cavaliers to a season-low in points.
The Atlanta Hawks secured a second consecutive victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Cup, triumphing 117-101 on Friday night at State Farm Arena on Friday afternoon.
De’Andre Hunter led the way with 23 points off the bench in a strong Atlanta bench performance with Trae Young adding 21 points and 11 assists. For the Cavaliers, Darius Garland scored a game-high 29 points. Evan Mobley added 24 points and 12 rebounds.
For the game itself: Hawks pull away in the third quarter en route to comfortable win
Having started the game on the back-foot (16-8), the Hawks recovered in the first quarter, and behind a productive effort from the second unit — led by Hunter — the Hawks took the lead of the game before opening a double-digit lead in the second quarter. The Hawks looked to have control of the game as they opened an 11-point lead with 1:43 remaining, but a perimeter flurry from Garland and the — at the time — struggling Donovan Mitchell pulled the Cavaliers back within two at the half.
On another night, the Hawks could have been left to rue how that lead got away at the end of the second quarter, but they need not to have worried as once the third quarter rolled around, so did the hosts.
Clint Capela was front and center to a run that saw the Hawks re-establish their double-digit lead. As was the case in the first half, the Hawks’ second unit again pulled through as the Hawks pushed the lead to 21 points before the end of the third quarter.
From here, the Cavs couldn’t pull off a big run to pull them to within double-digits — the Hawks weathering the pressure and hitting some big threes when it mattered, including one from Onyeka Okongwu in the corner near the end of the shotclock. Shots like this, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder noted, were massively impactful in the final frame.
“I feel like we didn’t close the fourth quarter like I’d like to see us but we hit some big shots,” said Snyder. “That competitive endurance, mentally, to continue to focus in those situations is something we have to keep working on, particularly in the fourth.”
The Cavaliers denied Young the ball often in this game, in addition to the star guard struggling with turnovers at times (seven for the game), and big plays from the Hawks off of Young’s passes or off the dribble when he was denied were instrumental.
Jalen Johnson stepped up in this regard, scoring 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting, nine rebounds and seven assists, as did De’Andre Hunter but more on him later. For now, let’s discuss some of the factors that swung this game in the Hawks’ favor.
Hawks protect the interior, limit Cavs to season-low points
One element of this game the Hawks did very well as how they challenged shots in the paint/around the rim in this game — a team-effort up and down the roster.
To start the game, Clint Capela slides over to help Zaccharie Risacher as Mobley seeks to punish the mismatch, blocking Mobley at the rim:
After one of six early turnovers, the Hawks rush back in transition and Risacher recovers to block Isaac Okoro at the rim:
Mitchell really struggled offensively in this game, shooting 5-of-23 from the field, and he was well defended on this possession on the drive by Jalen Johnson, who sticks with the drive and contests the shot at the rim:
Bogdan Bogdanovic does well on this drive to stick with Ty Jerome, helping to force a miss:
The Hawks did a good job covering for each other, this time it’s Dyson Daniels who comes up with the block from behind after Capela halts the momentum on the drive to allow Daniels to steam in:
Daniels and Capela again get involved in the second half, first it’s Daniels who gets a strong hand in to stall Mitchell before Capela rejects the shot:
Mobley presents a sizeable threat inside — often possessing a strong height advantage against his rivals — but was well defended inside last night, with Johnson doing his bit to deter Mobley at the rim:
In the end, the Hawks procured nine steals and blocked five shots. Without Mobley’s presence around the rim, the Hawks would’ve had a far larger advantage than the 52-50 margin they outscored the Cavaliers by in the paint. While the numbers may not tell the story, the Hawks deserve credit for their defense inside, it was far more pivotal than the numbers suggest.
The number that does reflect well on the Hawks’ efforts inside, however, was the season-low 101 points to which the league-leading Cavaliers were limited.
“I think it shows we’re getting better,” said Young of the defense. “One of the main things about being a really good defense is being consistent with it. These last two games, although in moments we weren’t, for the most part we’ve been consistent in our defense and our offense has followed. Whether it was at the beginning, middle, or end of the game it found its way at some point in the game. If we keep focusing on the defensive end our offense is going to click eventually from beginning to end.”
From Daniels, to Johnson, to Capela, the Hawks were active defensively, but Snyder was particularly pleased to see Capela respond on both ends of the floor.
“Everybody knows how committed Clint is,” said Snyder. “There’s not one seven footer (on the Cavaliers’ roster) but two of them. They’re both long and athletic. I thought today he was more poised when he got the ball. We talk about having our eyes out, and it’s not just Trae and the guard but Clint’s ability to recognize that ‘OK, this is going to be a tough finish,’ and kick it out, or when he can just go back up. I thought he adjusted too, he started shot-faking a little bit. Good to see him respond in that situation, and the defensive rebounding was big.”
Capela grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked three shots on the night to go with two steals — he was a strong presence and was backed up well by Okongwu in addition. In what was a difficult matchup in the towering form of both Mobley and Jarrett Allen, Capela and Okongwu both played excellently.
ATL bench overpowers Cavaliers’
Another hugely important aspect in which the Hawks emerged on top was the battle of the benches. The Hawks, now back at full strength, have very solid options coming off the bench who have started for them in the past.
De’Andre Hunter in particular was excellent, scoring a team-high 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, 4-of-7 from three and 5-of-5 from the free throw line.
Hunter was the guy on the second unit the Hawks could go to for a basket, or when the Cavaliers — as they often did — face-guarded/denied Trae Young the ball. This importance was highlighted by Snyder postgame.
“He’s pretty important, put an exclamation point on that!” said Snyder of Hunter’s importance. “As much as anything the way that he’s playing, I don’t think he gets enough credit for all the little things he does because they’re not as visible. He’s always in the right place defensively, he’s just a warrior. Those are guys who bring it, not just every game but all game long. He’s really embraced shooting the three … and he’s worked on it. Coach Lang and him they work on shooting it quick where it’s tough to block it. A contested three for him is a good shot, coupled with him getting out in transition and attacking the rim. You don’t always end up at the rim but his physicality if he does get to the mid-range he’s open. He’s doing a heck of a job. He’s a guy I feel lucky to coach.”
Meanwhile, Okongwu’s efforts off the bench were additionally impactful scoring 15 points 6-of-8 shooting to go with seven rebounds. While Okongwu’s work around the rim was excellent, his three-pointer in the fourth quarter was one of the more important moments of the quarter to help stave off the gradual comeback that the Cavaliers were mounting:
Bogdanovic added 10 points but struggled from three, shooting 2-of-8. Nevertheless, important points to help the Hawks win the bench battle 50-28 — instrumental to the Atlanta cause. Between the first quarter and the third quarter, the Hawks’ second unit helped swing this game in the Hawks’ favor.
The Hawks continue to log reps with this renewed second unit, although the likes of Garrison Mathews, Vit Krejci and Larry Nance Jr. do not get the look-in. When asked about the bench’s performance against the Cavs, Snyder was quick remind that the difficult decisions regarding the second unit continue to persist, even at full strength.
“Those difficult decisions don’t go away,” said Snyder when asked about the bench. “ We’ve got some guys that have done a heck of a job for us that haven’t played recently. It’s the way we’re playing, that’s what we’ve got to keep grinding on. That process, guys getting more and more connected, and us figuring out what are the things this group can do to be successful and sustaining that. We’ve felt that more, and we need to keep at it.”
All in all…
The Cavaliers would have been expected to bounce back in major fashion after suffering only their second defeat of the season — and on their home floor at that. The Hawks came out slightly slow, but after that first timeout — with the exception of the end of the first half — they rarely wavered from that point forward.
Young may not have had the strongest game in the world, but he was a willing passer. And when he was taken out of the game by the Cavaliers’ defense, there were others who stepped up and made plays, such as Johnson and Hunter, who were fantastic in this game on both ends.
In addition, the ball movement was excellent: 33 assists on the night for the Hawks. Defensively, Daniels and Capela were excellent and combined well on defense front and back line to block shots and force turnovers.
Donovan Mitchell shooting 5-of-23 certainly helped the Hawks last night — he was well defended at times and missed some good looks otherwise. His short burst to end the first half didn’t carry through, and for that the Hawks can be grateful. Garland was excellent and looked the most threatening Cavalier — some of those deep threes he hit were very impressive — but not enough to overcome a woeful bench effort for the visitors.
For the Hawks, they have officially advanced in the Emirates NBA Cup after the Celtics knocked off the Bulls. In addition, not one but two quality victories this week over the Cavaliers will certainly boost confidence.
The Hawks (9-11) are back in action on Saturday night against the Charlotte Hornets (6-13) in Charlotte. The Hornets are remaining home after a Friday afternoon loss to the New York Knicks.
Until next time!