With Atlanta trailing, 83-82, Kukoc made a pair of free throws with 8:40 remaining to start a 21-9 run. He had eight points during the outburst, and the Hawks held on down the stretch.
 Jacque Vaughn and the Hawks won for just the 2nd time in 25 road games. David Liam Kyle NBAE/Getty Images |
"One thing I told the guys is if Toni Kukoc comes in, don't let him get started," Cleveland coach John Lucas said. "The first thing we do is let him get wide-open for a three. I told our coaches, `That's the ballgame.'"
The win was just Atlanta's second in 11 road games this season and third in its last 32 away from home. It also snapped a two-game losing streak, with both defeats coming against New York in a home-and-home series.
"When Toni plays like that, it's a big added dimension," Atlanta coach Lon Kruger said. "He not only scores points, but he draws attention and he passes to others and creates opportunities for others. It was good to see that."
Shareef Abdur-Rahim added 19 points and 12 rebounds and Nazr Mohammed had 16 and 14 for the Hawks, who have taken 18 of the last 24 meetings with Cleveland.
The Cavs were paced by Lamond Murray's 21 points. Wesley Person added 20 but only four after the first quarter. Jumaine Jones contributed 17 and 12 rebounds.
Sparked by Kukoc, the Hawks' bench outscored Cleveland's, 43-14.
"It would be great if we could do this every night," Kukoc said. "It's hard and it's a gamble that the people off the bench have got to find their rhythm right away. They have to find the feel of the game right away, and that is not easy to do every time. When it happens, it's a nice addition to the starting five."
Person scored 16 points in the opening 12 minutes as the Cavs raced to a 37-26 lead.
"I felt good, but then they did a good job of switching out and sagging their defense," Person said. "We just couldn't adjust to it. In the first quarter, we were running and getting easy baskets. Then the game slowed down, we lost focus and didn't execute like we should. And that was the difference."
"In the first quarter, our defense was pretty loose," Kruger said. "After that, we played with much better awareness, much better activity and we got to the shooters a little bit better."
Atlanta went on a 16-3 run midway through the second quarter to tie it at 54-54, but Cleveland scored the next four points and took a 60-58 advantage into halftime.
The Hawks outrebounded the Cavs, 47-35, and had a 44-30 edge in points in the paint.
"They killed us on the boards in the second half," Lucas said. "Any team that has size like that is going to give us problems."
Both teams shot well from the line. Atlanta made 22-of-26 free throws and Cleveland was 22-of-27.
"It was a weird game," said Cavs point guard Andre Miller, who had 12 points and 10 assists but played much of the game in foul trouble. "We had lapses out there, particularly me, and they played well down the stretch. We had control of this game, had a decent lead and they just made their run."