Hawks-Cavaliers Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Jan 09 2013 1:28AM

The Atlanta Hawks suddenly find themselves mired in their longest losing streak of the season.

Fortunately for them, another matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers is up next.

Looking to get back on track, the visiting Hawks try for a ninth win in 10 games against the injury-plagued Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

After falling 85-84 at Detroit on Friday and 89-81 to Boston the following night, Atlanta (20-13) suffered another disheartening loss Tuesday, 108-103 at Minnesota. Josh Smith and Al Horford posted double-doubles with a combined 40 points and 24 rebounds but the Hawks were outscored 50-38 in the paint and committed 16 turnovers to the Timberwolves' 10.

They haven't dropped four in a row since closing the 2010-11 season on a six-game slide.

"There's some guys in there that are going to have to be held accountable," said coach Larry Drew, whose team has gone 7-2 in the second of back-to-backs. "As we move forward, if this doesn't change, there's going to have to be some changes. That's plain and simple. I'm not going to sit back and watch our guys come out and not be energized to play. That's totally unacceptable."

With the way things have gone of late, a visit to Cleveland (8-28) could be just what Atlanta needs to regroup. The Hawks have taken four straight at Quicken Loans Arena by an average of 13.0 points, most recently pulling out a 102-94 victory Dec. 28.

Atlanta has also won eight of nine in this series overall, with its only loss coming 113-111 on Alonzo Gee's putback with less than a second left Nov. 30. Kyrie Irving missed that game with a broken finger but Anderson Varejao had 20 points and 18 boards.

Varejao, though, is expected to miss his 11th consecutive contest Wednesday due to a knee injury that was originally supposed to only keep him out a couple games. The Brazil native is averaging 14.1 points and a league-high 14.4 rebounds.

"It's disappointing," Irving said. "We miss his effort. And more or less his intelligence as a basketball player. When he's not out there, we lose a little bit of leadership, but most importantly, we lose effort. We got 14 and 14 from him every single night. We miss that right now."

The Cavaliers enter this game in a 1-5 funk after getting blown out 118-92 at Chicago on Monday - their 11th straight loss in that series. Irving had scored a combined 63 points in his previous two games but was limited to 15 on 4-of-11 shooting for Cleveland, which was outrebounded 47-31 and outscored 54-36 in the lane.

The Cavaliers led 30-22 after the first quarter but were outscored by at least 10 in each of the next three.

"Just don't get the stops that we need, and that's basically what it boils down to," said Irving, averaging 28.5 points in his last two meetings with Atlanta.

"We just gotta get through it and stay mentally tough. ... We're just gonna continue to get better - we're a young team obviously, but just gotta learn every single day."

In addition to Varejao, the Cavaliers could be without C.J. Miles and Daniel Gibson. Miles is averaging 17.4 points over his last five games but could be held out after leaving in the third quarter Monday due to back spasms. Gibson, meanwhile, has been sidelined since suffering a concussion against Atlanta last month.

Luke Walton is also uncertain to be available due to personal reasons.

Irving scores 33 to lead Cavs past Hawks 99-83

By STEVE HERRICK
Posted Jan 09 2013 10:35PM

CLEVELAND (AP) Kyrie Irving gave the Cleveland Cavaliers some much-needed good news Wednesday night.

Irving scored 18 of his 33 points in the third quarter and the injury-riddled Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks 99-83 - Cleveland's largest margin of victory this season.

Irving's big night came at a perfect time for his team, which hasn't had much to feel good about lately. The Cavaliers lost five of six overall and six straight at home going into the game, but that seemed minor compared to the news that came earlier in the day.

Center Anderson Varejao will have surgery Thursday to repair a muscle that split near his right knee. He will miss six to eight weeks. Varejao was having an All-Star caliber season, averaging 14.1 points and an NBA-leading 14.4 rebounds. Irving admitted the Cavaliers, who had only 10 available players, were thinking about their sidelined teammate throughout the night.

"Andy's production, his effort, his whole morale around the team will be missed," Irving said. "We all have to step up."

"The biggest thing we talked about before the game was having fun," coach Byron Scott said. "Let's see what happens. Play hard, play together and play smart. We did all three of those things."

Josh Smith scored 17 points to lead Atlanta, which has lost a season-worst four straight. Hawks coach Larry Drew, who called his team "soft" following Tuesday night's loss to Minnesota, watched them get completely outplayed after tying the game early in the third. His mood wasn't any better following the latest lackluster effort.

"I am a little concerned right now," Drew said. "I've got to do something to get this team on stride again - and I will."

"The energy and the effort isn't all there right now," said center Al Horford. "It's about energy, man, and we need to defend better."

Alonzo Gee scored 15 points for Cleveland, while Tristan Thompson added 11 points and 14 rebounds. Rookie Tyler Zeller, who moved into the starting lineup after Varejao was injured Dec. 18, scored 11 points and had a career-high 12 rebounds.

Jeff Teague added 15 points for Atlanta and Horford scored 14.

Atlanta's frustration was best summed up when Smith shot an airball from the free throw line midway through the fourth quarter with the Hawks trailing 88-76. With the crowd jeering, he also missed the second shot and the Hawks slowly went up the court to play defense. Atlanta tied a franchise low by attempting five free throws. The Hawks made two, a league low for the season.

C.J. Miles (back spasms), Daniel Gibson (concussion) and Luke Walton (personal matter) also missed the game for Cleveland.

Hawks point guard Devin Harris played for the first time since Dec. 18 after missing 11 games because of a sore left foot. Guards Anthony Morrow (strained right hip) and DeShawn Stevenson (sore knee) didn't play.

Cleveland, which hit seven 3-pointers in the opening quarter, led for most of the first half. Atlanta tied the game at 51 early in the third quarter, but the Cavaliers surged ahead thanks mostly to Irving, who dazzled the Hawks with jump shots and drives to the basket that resulted in free throws. He also hit two 3-pointers, including one from a couple of feet behind the arc with 1.9 seconds remaining to give Cleveland a 77-63 lead.

Drew, who criticized his team's effort following a 108-103 loss to the Timberwolves, didn't back down from the words before playing the Cavaliers, saying he emphasized his point in a breakfast meeting with his players Wednesday.

"Things aren't going too good for us right now," Smith said. "You're going to have struggles like this throughout the season. We've got to get back to playing beautiful basketball."

The Hawks had won eight of nine over the Cavaliers. Atlanta has lost four in a row for the first time since closing the 2010-11 season on a six-game slide.

Varejao's injury was originally diagnosed as a bruised right knee, but he still wasn't ready to practice. He will have surgery on Thursday at The Cleveland Clinic. The team said Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colo., provided a second opinion on the injury.

NOTES: The Hawks are 7-3 in the second leg of back-to-back games. ... Harris, who went into the game averaging 7.7 points, was scoreless in 13 minutes. ... Atlanta hosts Utah on Friday night. ... Cleveland begins a five-game road trip in Denver on Friday night. ... Gibson has missed the last six games. He was injured against the Hawks after a collision with Morrow.

Notebook: Cavaliers 99, Hawks 83

Brian Dulik, For NBA.com
Posted Wed Jan 09, 2013 11:44 PM - Updated Wed Jan 09, 2013 11:44 PM

THE FACTS: Point guard Kyrie Irving scored 18 of his game-high 33 points in the third quarter, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 99-83 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night. Power forward Tristan Thompson added 11 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland (9-28), while center Tyler Zeller had 11 points and a career-high 12 boards. Atlanta (20-14) small forward Josh Smith collected 17 points, eight rebounds and a season-best six blocked shots. Point guard Jeff Teague had 15 points and a game-high eight assists. The Cavaliers' 16-point margin of victory equaled their largest since March 21, 2010, while the Hawks lost their fourth straight game.

QUOTABLE: "Things aren't going too good for us right now. You're going to have struggles like this throughout the season, and it's better to have them early than later. We've got to get back to playing beautiful basketball."

-- Hawks small forward Josh Smith

THE STAT: Atlanta only attempted five free throws, matching its all-time low since joining the NBA in 1949-1950 as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. "We settled for jump shots time and time again tonight -- and you can't play like that when they're not going in," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "You have to be more aggressive attacking the basket and trying to get to the foul line." Atlanta finished the night 2-for-5 from the charity stripe, which tied for the fifth-fewest free throws made in NBA history. "Our shot selection was not good," Drew said flatly.

TURNING POINT: The Cavaliers outscored the Hawks 26-12 over the final 8:47 of the third quarter, breaking open what had been a 51-51 game. Shooting guard Dion Waiters started the prolonged run with a 3-pointer that put Cleveland ahead for good at 54-51. Irving scored 16 points during the surge, making 5 of his 7 field goals, going 2-for-3 on 3s and 4-for-4 on free throws. "I was just trying to show our guys that you have to play the full 48 minutes, especially when the other team tries to ramp it up," Irving said. "But this was clearly a team win."

QUOTABLE II: "Honestly, we put ourselves in this situation. The last four games, we've been struggling with ourselves. Not to take anything away from Cleveland -- they're a pretty good young team with a good coach -- but we are my main concern."

-- Hawks center Zaza Pachulia

HOT: Cavaliers point guard Shaun Livingston played 21 strong minutes off the bench, collecting eight points, four rebounds and a team-high five assists. He also has moved ahead of Jeremy Pargo as Irving's primary backup. ... Cleveland small forward Alonzo Gee made a career-high five 3-pointers. ... Irving was 11-for-15 on field goals, including 5-for-6 on 3s, and 6-for-6 from the foul line. ... The Cavaliers are 2-1 against the Hawks this season. ... Pachulia led Atlanta with 10 rebounds in his return to the starting lineup. ... Hawks shooting guard Kyle Korver had 12 points, seven rebounds and no turnovers in a team-high 38 minutes.

NOT: The Cavaliers only dressed 10 players with center Anderson Varejao (right knee), shooting guards C.J. Miles (back strain) and Daniel Gibson (concussion), and power forward Luke Walton (personal reasons) all out. ... Waiters made his first start since Dec. 29 at Brooklyn -- filling in for last-minute scratch Miles -- but didn't score a point until his go-ahead 3 in the third. The fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft wound up 4-for-11 from the field. ... Hawks point guard Lou Williams, who was shifted to a reserve role, had five points and zero assists in 21 minutes. ... Smith air-balled a free-throw attempt in the fourth.

QUOTABLE III: "Everyone in this building feels bad for Andy [Varejao]. His production, effort, and overall morale will truly be missed, which is why we all have to step up for him. But other guys also have to look at this as an opportunity."

-- Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving

GOOD MOVE: Hawks point guard Devin Harris (left foot soreness) played in his first game since Dec. 18 at Washington, but Drew eased him back into the flow by bringing him off the bench. Harris was limited to 12 minutes and failed to score. ... Second-year pro Thompson and rookie Zeller were aggressive from the get-go for the Cavaliers, which was critical in overcoming Atlanta's size advantage in the post with the 6-foot-11 Pachulia and the 6-10 Horford. "That's the way their coach [Byron Scott] wanted them to play, which is smart," Pachulia said.

BAD MOVE: Drew changed his starting lineup one night after calling the Hawks "soft" following their 108-103 loss in Minnesota. Pachulia replaced Williams in a much bigger first five -- allowing power forward Al Horford, Smith and Korver to all slide down one spot -- but Atlanta only won the rebounding battle 46-45. The Cavaliers also outscored the Hawks on second-chance points, 17-12. "Cleveland is a big rebounding team, which is why the glass was a big part of our emphasis," Drew said. "We did not do a good enough job on the glass tonight."

NOTABLE: NBA rebounding leader Varejao will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a split vastus medialis, which is the muscle that connects to the border of the patella. The Brazilian star has not played since taking a hard fall to the court on Dec. 18 against Toronto. "It's very frustrating because I tried to come back and was working hard every day," said Varejao, who is expected to miss 6-8 more weeks. "The injury is nothing really serious, but it does need surgery to repair it." ... Hawks shooting guards Anthony Morrow (right hip strain) and DeShawn Stevenson (knee soreness) both missed the game with injuries. ... The Cavaliers begin a five-game Western Conference road trip Friday. Their next contest at Quicken Loans Arena is Jan. 22 against Boston.

UP NEXT: For the Hawks, Friday vs. Utah, Saturday @ Washington, Monday @ Chicago. For the Cavaliers, Friday @ Denver, Sunday @ L.A. Lakers, Monday @ Sacramento.

• Hawks: Stevenson
• Cavaliers: Varejao, Walton

• Hawks: --
• Cavaliers: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• Officials: #19 James Capers, #6 Tony Brown, #52 Scott Twardoski
• Attendance: 13149
• Duration: 1:52