Dec 30 vs Hawks

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Wrap-Up – Tuesday night’s matchup in Atlanta was supposed to be about how the game’s greatest player would perform on his 30th birthday. Instead, it turned into a battle of attrition for the Cavaliers, who were without LeBron James – out with a sore left knee – Shawn Marion – resting an ankle injury suffered on Sunday - and Kevin Love – who left the game in the third quarter with back spasms. With two stars on the shelf, the remaining Cavaliers scratched and clawed all night before relenting late and dropping the 109-101 decision at Philips Arena.

Cleveland’s third All-Star, Kyrie Irving – who missed the previous two games with a knee bruise – picked up the slack for his missing mates, netting 22 of his game-high 35 points after intermission. Irving went 13-of-27 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the stripe, adding a team-high nine assists, six boards and a pair of steals.

Tristan Thompson followed up with his second straight double-double – finishing with 18 points, going 9-for-12 from the floor, and 13 boards before fouling out late in the game. Rookie Joe Harris rounded out the Cavaliers in double-figures – coming off the bench to tally 13 points, going 3-for-4 from long-distance to go with four boards and a pair of assists.

But Harris wasn’t the only reserve to contribute in a big way on Tuesday. James Jones was good on both ends, canning three triples to go with three steals and a pair of blocked shots. Dion Waiters added nine points, four assists, three boards and a pair of steals.

Atlanta was also down a key piece, with Al Horford getting the late scratch after falling under the weather. Paul Milsap picked up the slack, leading five Hawks in double-figures with 26 points to go with nine boards and a game-high three blocks. Jeff Teague, who added 23 points in the win, also led both teams with 11 helpers.

Already in their third matchup of the season – with each team recording a blowout win at The Q – Tuesday’s game in the ATL had a distinctly different feel. The Hawks looked like they would run away with the game in the third quarter when they extended their lead to 17 points, but the scrappy Cavaliers continued to work their way back into the game before Atlanta pulled away late. One can only imagine what the series finale on March 6 will look like.

Watch full final game highlights from Tuesday's game.

Turning Point – The Hawks went on a 12-3 run to end the first half and took a double-digit lead into intermission. And they were comfortably ahead through much of the third quarter. But the Cavs closed the gap to just five heading into the final period. Cleveland continued to push Atlanta and when James Jones drilled his third three of the night with 4:44 to play, the Wine and Gold trailed by just a deuce. Teague missed a trey on Atlanta’s next possession, but got back quickly and – as Matthew Dellavedova tried to hit Kyrie in the corner for the go-ahead triple – stole the ball and fed ahead to Milsap, who drilled a pair of free throws to put the Hawks back in charge.

By the Numbers – .639 … Tristan Thompson’s field goal percentage (23-for-36) as a starter this season. During those starts, the fourth-year big is averaging 14.5 points and 12.0 boards per contest, racking up his seventh double-double of the season on Tuesday night in Atlanta.

Quotable – Coach David Blatt, on how the Cavs performed as well as they did, following Sunday’s disappointing effort against Detroit …

”Some good-hearted soul searching and talking and leadership from within. (This is) the kind of grit that we should have as Cleveland people.”

Up Next – The Cavaliers wacky week continues as they wrap up the 2014 calendar year with a New Year’s Eve matchup against Milwaukee at The Q.  The Cavs tip off 2015 on the road – taking on Kemba Walker and the Hornets on Friday night in Charlotte. On Sunday, it’s a marquee matinee in Cleveland when Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks come to town for a 1 p.m. meeting. The Cavs get back on the road Monday, traveling to Philly to take on the young Sixers. Two nights later, they face the Rockets at The Q in their final game before a five-game West Coast swing.

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Hawks Pull Past Shorthanded Cavaliers

clenadams

(On the game): “I really thought we came out and competed. You saw a team that was together, despite missing 50% of our normal rotation. I thought that, against a very good team, we had our chances to win the game, which we missed. Certainly it was a good effort. We were together in fighting and we’re a team that had a chance to win, despite the losses we suffered in terms of injuries.”

(On Kevin Love’s injury): “His back tightened up on him. I don’t know too much more than that (right now).”

(On how team rebounded with such a positive performance after poor play against Detroit): “Some good-hearted soul searching and talking and leadership from within. (This is) the kind of grit that we should have as Cleveland people.”

(On the play of Kyrie Irving tonight): “Kyrie took responsibility (tonight), understanding that we had some scoring issues. I just thought (he) played his heart out. The kid is just a wonderful young man who understands what this is about and is doing everything he can to impact (us) in a positive way. I just think the world of that kid.”

(On his back spasms): “This was just one of those things where (my back) just locked up on me. It happened previously in a game back in November. I thought the guys (still) played extremely hard in the second half fighting back.”

(On if his back got worse during the game): “I came out with about ten minutes left in the third, and I tried to go back in with about two minutes left. I felt okay, but I told (our trainers) at halftime it wasn’t feeling too great, so that’s when we decided to take me out. I had one game earlier this year where it spasmed on me, but I was able to come back and play the next night. I’m hoping that it’s the same thing.”

(On if there is anything good to take from the game tonight): “Obviously you don’t want to lose, but we kept fighting and cut it to two. There were a few plays that could go either way. We kept on to the end. But we can’t hang our heads. We have a game against a good (Milwaukee) Bucks team tomorrow, and we just have to be prepared for them.”

(On facing a defender like DeMarre Carroll all night): “He’s going to challenge me and I have to be up for the challenge. I had to be aggressive since we had some guys down. I just had to take open shots when I saw them. Tristan (Thompson) and Kevin (Love) did a great job in setting screens for me to get me open. Tristan got some good looks, too. I turned the ball over a little too much tonight, but this is just part of us growing up as a team. I have to be smarter in running our offense and settling us down.”

(On the game): “Nights like tonight can be really hard for a lot of reasons. Our group finding a way to win the game is something that is important. It obviously wasn’t our best or our prettiest game, but they (Cleveland) played well. Kyrie Irving was really, really hard to guard. He put them on his back, and other guys around him were making shots. So give Cleveland a lot of credit for the way they played and the way they fought. Our guys found a way to make enough plays to win.”

(On Paul Millsap): “Paul made a lot of plays down the stretch, getting to the basket, being aggressive and being decisive. Between he and Jeff, they both made plays that allowed us to make it home.”

(When did you know Horford wasn’t available?): “During warm-ups, he started not feeling well. Literally two or three minutes before the horn goes off, before the national anthem. We’re fortunate that we have bigs, and we have depth in Elton (Brand) and Mike Scott. All of those guys helped us. Obviously we miss Al, and he’s a big part of us, but it was last second, unforeseen, no warning. Hopefully he will be fine.”

(On effective guard play): “Hopefully that has become something where each night, different guys are stepping up and making plays. Even if one of them hasn’t had a particularly good game or a particularly good couple of games, I think we all expect them to play well every night. Dennis bouncing back after a couple of tough games is a great sign for him. He put in good work the past couple of days. It’s a credit to the assistant coaches, keeping him confident and keeping him aggressive. Kyle is Kyle. He’s going to make shots. We’re probably spoiled that way. It’s always good when those guys are efficient.”

(On setting franchise record for wins in a month): “I think we’ve just been really consistent with our approach to the game. That’s really encouraging. It’s a long season and there are going to be ups and downs, but if you can continue to bring the energy and be focused every night, you can do a lot of things in the NBA. We have good players and good coaching too, obviously. Our approach has been good. We keep getting better at what we’re trying to be, as far as a system and as a team.”

(On reacting to the last minute roster changes): "This is what happens. A lot of games are won and lost in the first quarter when you come out and take a team lightly or you have an extra edge coming into the game. The first quarter is really important, in how you approach the game. They had LeBron (James) out, Kevin Love was out. It’s easy to be like, ‘It’s going to be an easier game.’ But if you come out and have a bad first quarter, now you’re in a hole. It’s the same thing. Al’s out. We knew we had to pick it up a little bit.”

(On Paul Millsap down the stretch): “He scored eight points in a row. He played well. That’s what we expect out of him. He stepped up tonight in the clutch.”

(On the 14-win month): “We’re just playing together. We believe we can win every game. Tonight we came out and played hard together and as a team, we played defense.”

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Game Quotes: Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks - Dec. 30

clejcaione

Listen to Radio Play-by-Play announcer John Michael's Call of the Game during the Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks game on December 30, 2014. Kyrie Irving feeds Tristan Thompson for the high handoff.

Escucha a la voz en español de los Cavaliers Rafa "El Alcalde" con la narración de la jugada del partido entre Los Cavaliers de Cleveland vs. Los Hawks de Atlanta en El Phillips Arena de Atlanta, GA  el 30 de Diciembre del 2014.  Los Cavs perdieron en casa 109 -101 frente a Los Hawks a pesar de una gran actuación de Kyrie Irving que anoto 35 puntos incluyendo esta jugada de 4 puntos que arranco su explosión anotadora.

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Call of the Game: Cavs at Atlanta Hawks - Dec. 30

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Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks - December 30, 2014

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Five Keys: Cavaliers at Hawks - Dec. 30, 2014

The Cavaliers will play their final road game of the 2014 calendar year tonight when they face the Atlanta Hawks for the third time this season. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Cleveland (18-12) has won 11 of the last 14 games against the Eastern Conference. On the season, they are 14-6 against the East, which includes a 6-2 record on the road.

The Wine and Gold have won 13 of 18 games overall and is 8-4 against teams that are above .500 this season. Since Nov. 24, the Cavs are holding teams to 97.2 points, the 3rd-lowest in the NBA over that stretch.

Atlanta (22-8) is currently in first place in the Southeast Division and second overall in the Eastern Conference (trailing Toronto by 1.5 games).

The Hawks own a 13-3 record at Philips Arena this season, which is the second-best home mark in the Eastern Conference. The 13 home wins are fourth most in the NBA.

Atlanta is 15-2 (.882) over their last 17 games, including an 8-1 (.889) record at home.

Tune into FOX Sports Ohio, WUAB or NBATV.

WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega, AM 1590 WAKR (Akron)

Get into the conversation with other die-hards.

Probable Starters/Status Update*presented by Cleveland Clinic

Status Update: LeBron James, (Left Knee Soreness, Questionable), Shawn Marion, (Left Ankle Sprain, Questionable), Kyrie Irving, (Left Knee Contusion, Probable), Anderson Varejao, (Torn Left Achilles Tendon, Out)

Hawks: PG - Jeff Teague, SG - Kyle Korver, SF - DeMarre Carroll PF - Paul Millsap, C - Al Horford

The two teams have split their first two matchups this season. They will wrap up their regular season series on March 6th at Philips Arena.

The Cavaliers trail the all-time series against the Hawks 96-115 (61-47 Home, 35-68 Road).

TV: FOX Sports Ohio, WUAB, NBATV, Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega, AM 1590 WAKR (Akron)

Tune into #CavsLive on FOX Sports Ohio starting at 7:00 p.m.

For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike, @chones22 and @ElalcaldeRafa on Twitter.

After tonight’s game, the Cavaliers return to Cleveland to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. ET.

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GameDay Preview: Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks

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