National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Atlanta 109, Cleveland 101
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Officials: #77 Karl Lane, #11 Derrick Collins, #33 Sean Corbin
Attendance: 19215

Hawks 109, Cavaliers 101: Paul Millsap scored 10 of his 26 points in the final 5:16 and pulled down nine rebounds as host Atlanta held off short-handed Cleveland, which was missing LeBron James.

Jeff Teague scored 23 points and dished out 11 assists for the Hawks, who improved to 14-3 at home and have won four straight against the Cavaliers in Atlanta. Kyle Korver made five 3-pointers to finish with 19 points and eight boards as Atlanta won for the 16th time in 18 games.

Kyrie Irving poured in 35 points to go with nine assists and six rebounds for the Cavaliers, who were without James (knee) on his 30th birthday as well as forward Shawn Marion (ankle). Tristan Thompson collected 18 points and 13 rebounds and rookie Joe Harris added 13 points off the bench for Cleveland, which has dropped three of four since losing center Anderson Varejao to a torn Achilles' tendon.

Cleveland erased most of a 17-point deficit and pulled within 95-93 on James Jones' 3-pointer with 4:43 remaining, but the Cavaliers committed turnovers on their next two trips, spurring an 8-2 Hawks run. Millsap scored six straight Atlanta points and Teague hit a step-back jumper to push it to 103-95 with 2:10 left and the Cavaliers didn't get closer than six the rest of the way.

The Hawks closed the first half with a 14-3 run to take a 51-41 lead to the break and appeared poised to blow it open when Korver's 3-pointer pushed the margin to 60-43 less than two minutes into the third quarter. Irving scored 12 points in the third quarter as Cleveland clawed back within 78-73 entering the final stanza.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cleveland PF Kevin Love checked out with 1:07 left in the third quarter and did not return because of back spasms, finishing with seven points on 1-of-8 shooting and seven rebounds. … Hawks C Al Horford (illness) was a late scratch and was replaced in the starting lineup by Pero Antic, who finished with five points in his first start of the season. … Irving converted the first four-point play of his career at the 8:44 mark of the first quarter.

Top Game Performances
 
Cleveland   Atlanta
Kyrie Irving 35 Scoring Paul Millsap 26
Kyrie Irving 9 Assists Jeff Teague 11
Tristan Thompson 13 Rebounds DeMarre Carroll 9
Kyrie Irving 6 Free Throws Made Paul Millsap 6
James Jones 3 Steals Thabo Sefolosha 3
James Jones 2 Blocks Paul Millsap 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Cleveland 101 44.0 13-31 14-21 23 42 2 10 20
Atlanta 109 50.6 10-29 19-26 23 44 5 13 15
Upcoming Games
  • Atlanta will play their next game on the road against Utah. The Hawks have a W/L % of .739 after a win and .750 after a loss.
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Milwaukee. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .462 after a loss.