Marvin Williams scored 22 points and Al Horford and reserve Jamal Crawford added 16 apiece as the Atlanta Hawks started fast and held on for a 100-88 victory over the host Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.
The Hawks made 15-of-21 shots in the first quarter (71 percent), scoring 40 points. They led by as many as 17 points in the first half before the Cavaliers came back to briefly take a 75-74 lead on a driving layup by Daniel Gibson in the first minute of the fourth quarter.
But five of the Cavs’ next six shots were 3-pointers, and they only connected once as the Hawks took control down the stretch.
J.J. Hickson scored a career-high 31 points, Mo Williams had 12 off the bench in his season debut and Anthony Parker had 10 for the Cavs, who have lost three straight after beating Boston in their opener.
Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson each added 15 points for the Hawks, who have taken advantage of a soft schedule to remain the East’s last remaining unbeaten at 4-0.
Atlanta | Cleveland | |
Marvin Williams 22 | Scoring | J.J. Hickson 31 |
Joe Johnson 9 | Assists | Ramon Sessions 3 |
Al Horford 12 | Rebounds | Anderson Varejao 12 |
Jamal Crawford 6 | Free Throws Made | J.J. Hickson 9 |
Josh Smith 2 | Steals | Daniel Gibson 1 |
Josh Smith 5 | Blocks | Jamario Moon 2 |