Hawks-Cavaliers Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Dec 28 2012 1:45PM

After earning back-to-back home wins, the Atlanta Hawks are hoping to keep their momentum going during a road-heavy stretch.

A visit to Cleveland might help get that off to a victorious start, but the Cavaliers beat the Hawks last month and will be seeking to build on their first win streak of the season Friday night.

Atlanta (17-9) endured one of its worst stretches this season earlier this month, losing three of four, but bounced back with wins against Chicago and Detroit over the past week.

In the latter of those games Wednesday, the Hawks blew a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter but came away with a 126-119 win in double overtime. Josh Smith had a season-high 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Al Horford chipped in 22 points and 10 boards.

"A couple of times I thought we were dead in the water," coach Larry Drew said. "It was a really hard fought win."

Smith had a team-best 25 points against Cleveland on Nov. 30 and was one of six Atlanta players in double figures but Alonzo Gee's putback in the final second gave the Cavaliers a 113-111 victory at Philips Arena. Jeremy Pargo, Dion Waiters and Anderson Varejao each had 20 or more points as Cleveland snapped a seven-game skid in the series.

"We've got to go up there and play better than we did here," Drew said. "We know that we can play better. That's our goal and that's our focus."

The Cavaliers head into this matchup having earned back-to-back victories for the first time since a three-game win streak March 7-11, but coach Byron Scott was hardly pleased with his team's play in an 87-84 victory in Washington on Wednesday.

Cleveland (7-23) shot 37.8 percent and Kyrie Irving scored only six of his team-best 26 points in the second half while missing nine of 10 shots.

"I should be a lot happier than I am, I guess," Scott said. "But some of the boneheaded mistakes that we made ... we've just got to be a little bit smarter when the game's on the line like that.

"We feel pretty good about the two wins. Now it's just trying to build on them."

The Cavaliers will have to do that without Varejao, who has been ruled out of this game and Saturday's contest at Brooklyn with a bruised right knee.

Having won three straight in Cleveland, Atlanta could make it difficult for the Cavaliers to add to that streak and avoid a season high-tying fourth consecutive home defeat. The Hawks, 7-4 on the road this season, won 103-87 in their only visit last season March 18.

Atlanta will play eight of its next 11 games on the road and Smith will try to help get that stretch off to a positive start with another strong performance against Cleveland. Along with his 25-point performance in November, the Hawks forward had 32 points and 17 rebounds in a 103-102 overtime win over the Cavaliers on March 21.

A broken left finger kept Irving out of the most recent matchup. He averaged 22.0 points on 55.8 percent shooting and 7.0 assists in last season's three meetings.

"We have a task before us in defending him," Drew said. "He can make shots. He's good off the dribble. He finds people. He's a very skilled point guard. It won't just be one guy's responsibility. It will be everybody's."

Irving had 29 points, nine assists and a career high-tying nine rebounds in the overtime loss in March.

Teague leads Hawks past Cavaliers, 102-94

Posted Dec 28 2012 11:22PM

CLEVELAND (AP) Atlanta coach Larry Drew had a simple message for Jeff Teague a few days ago: Be more aggressive.

The Hawks point guard is a good listener. Teague posted a career-high 27 points and Atlanta scored the game's final nine points to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-94 on Friday night.

"I'd like to take credit for it, but I can't," Drew said. "He just came out and played. When he plays with that energy, he makes us a much better team."

Teague's jumper from the foul line gave the Hawks a 95-94 lead with 2:32 remaining to spark the late run.

"I was just being aggressive," he said. "Coach pulled me aside after the Philly game and told me to bring more energy."

Teague's performance wasn't lost on his teammates, who felt he was the difference in the victory that sent Atlanta to its third straight win and raised its road record to 8-4.

"Jeff was great tonight," Hawks center Zaza Pachulia said. "This was the best game in his career. He scored my jersey number (27). We need Jeff to play like this."

Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 28 points, but the Cavaliers failed to score in the final 2:53 after taking a 94-93 lead.

Lou Williams scored 16 points for Atlanta while Al Horford added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Dion Waiters scored 18 points for Cleveland, which had its season-high two-game winning streak end.

Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao, the league's leading rebounder, missed his fifth straight game with a bruised right knee. He's also been ruled out of Saturday's game against Brooklyn.

Both teams also sustained injuries during the game. Hawks forward Josh Smith didn't play in the fourth quarter after aggravating a hip flexor, but said he should play in Saturday's game against Indiana. Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson sustained a concussion after colliding with Anthony Morrow in the second quarter. He was down on the court for several minutes before walking to the locker room. Gibson didn't return and won't play Saturday.

Irving's drive gave Cleveland a 94-93 lead with 2:53 to play, but the Cavaliers didn't score again.

"I wasn't really happy with the execution the last two or three minutes," coach Byron Scott said. "That's an understatement and I let them know."

Teague's jumper gave Atlanta the lead for good. Horford followed with a jump shot for a three-point lead before Kyle Korver's 3-pointer stretched the lead to eight with 1:21 remaining.

"This is a big win for our club," Drew said. "We were short-handed and played a team in Cleveland that has been playing well and probably had some confidence coming into this game."

Atlanta scored the game's first eight points and lead by as many as 11 in the first half. The Cavaliers chipped away at the lead in the second quarter and Irving hit a running 30-footer to beat the halftime buzzer to cut Atlanta's lead to 55-54. The shot brought the crowd to its feet and Irving exchanged chest bumps with several teammates as he ran to the locker room.

"It was a momentum push for us, but it doesn't mean anything now," he said.

The basket seemed to spark the Cavaliers, who scored the first six points of the second half and raced to a 68-59 lead.

Atlanta used a 16-6 run to take a 75-74 lead. Cleveland led 80-75 going into the fourth quarter, but Atlanta went on another spurt to take an 83-82 lead on Teague's dunk following a steal.

C.J. Miles and Irving followed with 3-pointers to put Cleveland ahead 88-83, but Atlanta rallied again. The Hawks avenged a 113-11 loss in Atlanta on Nov. 30. Atlanta has won its last four games in Cleveland. The Cavaliers haven't won three in a row since March 7-11 of last season. Cleveland has also lost four straight at Quicken Loans Arena.

Morrow strained his right hip in the second quarter and didn't return.

NOTES: Atlanta F Ivan Johnson remained at the team's hotel because of the stomach flu. He became ill Friday morning and also missed the team's shootaround. .... G DeShawn Stevenson (sore knee) sat out the game, but is expected to play Saturday against Indiana. ... G Devin Harris (sore foot) missed his fifth straight game. ... The Cavaliers assigned F Samardo Samuels to Canton of the NBA Development League. He's averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 18 games. ... F Luke Harangody, waived by Cleveland this month, had his Development League rights traded by Canton to Fort Wayne.

Notebook: Hawks 102, Cavaliers 94

Brian Dulik, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Dec 28, 2012 11:34 PM - Updated Fri Dec 28, 2012 11:34 PM

THE FACTS: Point guard Jeff Teague collected a career-high 27 points and a game-high eight assists, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 102-94 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Shooting guard Lou Williams added 16 points for Atlanta, while center Al Horford chipped in 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Point guard Kyrie Irving had 28 points, five assists and four steals for Cleveland, which also received 18 points and a career-high six rebounds from shooting guard Dion Waiters. The Hawks outscored the Cavaliers 27-14 in the fourth quarter to earn the road win.

QUOTABLE: "As Teague goes -- when he plays aggressive like this -- it sets the tone for this basketball team. He's always been confident, but point guard is probably the hardest position to grasp in the NBA. He's going to be just fine."
-- Hawks power forward Josh Smith

THE STAT: Teague is averaging 18.3 points and 9.0 assists since Atlanta coach Larry Drew sat him down for a heart-to-heart talk three games ago. "Coach pulled me aside after the Philly game (on Dec. 21) and told me to bring more energy," the fourth-year pro said. "I was just being aggressive out there again tonight." During the same timeframe, Teague is shooting .488 from the field, .500 beyond the arc, and 1.000 from the foul line -- significantly above his season marks in all three categories.

TURNING POINT: After Teague put the Hawks ahead 95-94 with 2:33 left, the Cavaliers took back-to-back poor shots that resulted in five Atlanta points. Irving misfired on a 27-footer with seven seconds on the shot clock, leading to a Horford jumper that made it 97-94. Waiters then jacked up a 22-footer that was off the mark, setting up a 3-pointer by Atlanta small forward Kyle Korver. "I wasn't really happy with the execution in the last two or three minutes," Cleveland coach Byron Scott said. "That's an understatement -- and I let them know."

QUOTABLE II: "Jeff was great tonight. This was the best game in his career. He scored my jersey number (27). We need Jeff to play like this because he's so important to our team."
-- Hawks center Zaza Pachulia

HOT: Hawks power forward Anthony Tolliver made 5-for-7 shots, including 2-for-3 3-pointers, in 20 minutes off the bench. He also scored a season-high 13 points and tied his 2012-13 high-water mark with four rebounds. "Anthony gave us some big minutes and he hit some big shots," Drew said. ... Smith stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, six rebounds, six assists, and five blocked shots in three quarters of work. ... Atlanta's substitutes outscored their Cleveland counterparts 27-18 and outrebounded them 14-7. "It was all about energy," said Pachulia, who had nine points and seven boards in 26 minutes. "Energy, energy, energy."

NOT: Cavaliers shooting guard Daniel "Boobie" Gibson suffered a concussion when he collided with Hawks shooting guard Anthony Morrow in the second quarter. Gibson did not travel with the team to Brooklyn following the game. ... Morrow strained a right hip muscle late in the first half and did not return. ... Smith aggravated his injured hip flexor in the third quarter, forcing him to sit out the fourth. "I should be OK for tomorrow after a night of rest and some treatment," he said. ... Cleveland had 11 shots blocked by Atlanta. .... The Cavaliers have lost four straight home games and are 3-10 at Quicken Loans Arena on the season.

QUOTABLE III: "I didn't say a word to [Teague] tonight. I'd like to take credit for it, but I can't. He just came out and played. When he plays with that energy, he makes us a much better team."
-- Larry Drew

GOOD MOVE: Waiters already has a reputation as a streaky shooter, which the Hawks used to their advantage in the second half. The first-round draft pick from Syracuse was given space on the perimeter by Williams and Teague -- and missed all eight of his field goal attempts after intermission. "It wasn't anything we did, he just missed shots," Teague said. ... Atlanta played under control offensively at crunch time, allowing it to end the game with a 9-0 run. "That was a good example of our youth versus their experience," Scott said. "That's the bottom line."

BAD MOVE: Smith refused to attack the rim against the Cavaliers' short-handed frontcourt, settling for perimeter jumpers in a 2-for-12 shooting performance. "J-Smoove" also committed four turnovers in the first quarter and finished with a game-high tying five. ... Scott used power forward Luke Walton as Cleveland's first big man off the bench, but received just two points and four fouls in 19 minutes from the former Lakers fan favorite. ... The Cavaliers signed point guard Shaun Livingston on Christmas Day, but have yet to use him in a game.

NOTABLE: Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao (right knee bruise) missed his fifth straight game and will not play Saturday at Brooklyn. The NBA's leading rebounder has been sidelined since taking a hard fall to the floor on Dec. 18 against Toronto. ... All fans in attendance received a Varejao wig, allowing them to look just like the mop-topped Brazilian. "It's really sad I can't play on my night," he said, laughing. ... Hawks point guard Devin Harris (left foot soreness) sat out his fifth game in a row, while power forward Ivan Johnson (stomach flu) and shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson (knee soreness) were both held out.

UP NEXT: For the Hawks, Saturday vs. Indiana, Monday @ Houston, Tuesday @ New Orleans. For the Cavaliers, Saturday @ Brooklyn, Wednesday vs. Sacramento, Jan. 4 @ Charlotte.

• Hawks: Harris
• Cavaliers: Samuels, Varejao

• Hawks: --
• Cavaliers: --

• Lead Changes: 20
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #11 Derrick Collins, #74 Curtis Blair
• Attendance: 19443
• Duration: 2:01