Hawks soar to claim NBA Cup victory over Cavaliers
De’Andre Hunter scored 23 points off Atlanta’s bench as the Hawks beat Cleveland 117-101 in the NBA Cup, handing the Cavaliers their second loss in three days.
The Cavaliers (17-3) still boast the NBA’s best record but they once again couldn’t match the Hawks’ scoring depth on Friday night (Saturday AEDT).
Trae Young had 21 points and 11 assists, and Jalen Johnson added 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as Atlanta finished with six scorers in double figures.
Australian Dyson Daniels did his bit for the cause, notching seven rebounds, four assists and seven points.
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 29 points and Evan Mobley added 24 points, including seven dunks.
Atlanta won 135-124 at Cleveland on Wednesday night (local time) as Young set a career high with 22 assists. He leads the NBA in assists (12.5 per game).
The Hawks clinched East Group C in the NBA Cup when the Chicago Bulls lost to visiting Boston.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, Jalen Brunson had 31 points and made two clutch free throws with 8.6 seconds left as the New York Knicks held on to beat the shorthanded Hornets 99-98 to improve to 3-0 in NBA Cup play.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who entered the game 23 points behind the Orlando Magic in point differential in Group A and in need of a blowout win. The Magic are 2-0 in group play and visit Brooklyn.
Brandon Miller had 20 points and Australian Josh Green added 15 points for the Hornets, who played without three starters, including the red-hot LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Mark Williams.
In Chicago, Jayson Tatum had 35 points and 14 rebounds and Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 29 points as Boston beat the Bulls138-129.
Pritchard made 7-of-11 three-point attempts and scored 19 in the fourth quarter. Boston received 21 points from both Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown. The Celtics improved to 3-1 in the NBA Cup, and could move on as a wild card.
Nikola Vucevic scored 32 points and had 11 rebounds for Chicago, who fell to 2-2 in the NBA Cup and were eliminated.
In Los Angeles, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder held on for a 101-93 victory over the Lakers.
It is the fifth time in the past six games Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 30 points. Jalen Williams added 19 points as the Thunder won their fourth straight game.
Dalton Knecht scored 20 points, including five three-pointers for the Lakers, who have dropped four of their past five.
With the loss, Los Angeles can’t advance to the quarter-finals after winning the inaugural NBA Cup tournament last year.
Phoenix, San Antonio and Oklahoma City are all 2-1 in West Group B, while the Lakers are 2-2.
In New York, Franz Wagner scored 29 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 19 as the Orlando Magic eased to a 123-100 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr each had 12 points for the Magic, who improved to 3-0 in Group A play and moved into a tie with New York.
Orlando play the Knicks, who are also 3-0 in the East’s Group A, in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday, with the winners advancing as group champions.
– with Reuters
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