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Wrap-Up -- The last three opponents made the Wine & Gold work until the closing buzzer at The Q. The Cavaliers had no intention of letting the six-win Hawks stick around that long.
Both teams combined for 15 three-pointers in the opening quarter and the game was knotted at 31-apiece after one. But Cleveland imposed its will from that point forward, bombarding Atlanta with 20 triples and pulling away for the 123-114 victory on Tuesday night at The Q.
The formula was a familiar one for the Wine & Gold, who’ve now won 15 of their last 16 games and ninth straight at home. LeBron James and Kevin Love led the way with double-doubles, the remaining three starters filled the gaps and the second unit holding, then building, the lead.
LeBron was sensational again on Tuesday night – tying his career-high with 17 assists while leading both squads with 25 points on 11-for-13 shooting from the floor, adding seven boards and a pair of steals in the win.
Tuesday’s performance was the 25th time this season that James hit on more than 50 percent of his shots. Among those 25 games, he’s shot better than 60 percent in 14 of them. He’s also shooting a career-best 42 percent from long-distance, going 2-for-3 from deep against Atlanta.
Kevin Love notched his 18th double-double of the season and fifth in his last six outings – finishing with 17 points and a game-high 12 boards, going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, 6-of-13 from the floor overall.
Even with Dwyane Wade on the shelf for Tuesday’s matchup to nurse a sore left knee, the Cavaliers bench still combined for 52 points.
Kyle Korver tormented his former squad – coming off the bench to net 19 points in 23 minutes of work, going 6-of-9 from long-range. Jeff Green was just as good, adding 17 points of his own – going 7-for-12 from the floor to go with three boards and an assist.
Jose Calderon improved his record as a starter with Cleveland to 11-2, posting a season-high 14 points against the squad he finished last season with – shooting 5-of-7 from the floor overall, 4-of-5 from downtown.
In terms of impressive starting numbers, Jae Crowder improved his record to 12-0 when notching double-figures this season – chipping in with 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting.
Balanced scoring attack leads Cavs to win over the Hawks.
Overall, the Wine & Gold drilled 20 three pointers on the night – with the Hawks not far behind with 16. Cleveland set a franchise mark early, extending their string of games with at least 10 three-pointers to 18 straight. On the night, the two squads combined to take 74 treys.
Atlanta was solid offensively on Tuesday night – featuring five players in double-figures, led by Taurean Prince’s 24-point effort, going 8-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the stripe. Dennis Schroder, who’d averaged 27.5 ppg in the first two meetings with Cleveland, was held to just 14 points in the loss.
As a team, the Wine & Gold shot 56 percent from the floor and 53 percent from long-range – handing out 35 assists on 48 made baskets. On the night, they turned the ball over 13 times, leading to just six Atlanta points.
Turning Point -- The Hawks and Cavs were tied after one quarter and Atlanta actually outscored Cleveland, 66-61, in the second half. It was the second quarter that settled the affair on Tuesday night.
The Cavaliers jumped on the Hawks early in the period, but Atlanta found its footing and got back to within four when Luke Babbitt matched Kyle Korver’s bomb with 4:16 to play before intermission.
But Tyronn Lue’s squad made a strong push heading into halftime, with Kevin Love, LeBron James and Jae Crowder keying a 14-4 run to close the first stanza and send the Wine & Gold to the locker room with a two-touchdown advantage.
By the Numbers – 21 … consecutive games that the Cavaliers have topped the century mark – shooting better than 50 percent in 10 of those contests and better than 40 percent from beyond the arc in 10. The Cavs have also topped the 120-point mark in four games this year – winning all four.
Quotable – Tristan Thompson, who returned to (limited) action after missing the previous 19 games with a calf injury …
”Being out for an extended period of time sucks, so I’m just glad to be out there with the guys and just playing basketball again. We’re just going to take our time with it. There’s no rush. Nobody remembers what happens in December. Right now, it’s about just getting back in rhythm, getting the feel for playing with my teammates again and for them to get used to having me out there.”
Up Next - After taking care of the Hawks on Tuesday night at The Q, the Cavaliers prepare for an eagerly-anticipated matchup with Lonzo Ball and the Lakers on Thursday before wrapping up the four-game homestand on Saturday night against the stingy Utah Jazz. The following night, the Wine & Gold make their second trip to the nation’s capital – facing off against Bradley Beal and the Wizards on Sunday evening. They head to Milwaukee two nights later and return to Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday in their final home contest before embarking on the Christmas trip beginning in Golden State.