Hawks top Cavaliers in a double overtime thriller, 127-125

Whoever said the Eastern Conference was boring was wrong.

The NBA saw a match up between two of the league’s best point guards in Jeff Teague and Kyrie Irving, and it didn’t disappoint. The Hawks came out and controlled the game early, but the Cavs were making it a fight. Kyrie Irving had only nine points at halftime, but it would be a different story in the second half.

The Cavaliers were fueled by a 10-1 run in the fourth quarter to take the lead, and it seemed as if they were going to take this one. The Hawks turned the ball over at a high rate, and it allowed Cleveland to remain in control. The Hawks lost DeMarre Carroll to a hand injury in the third quarter, and would sadly lose Al Horford to a right shoulder in the final period. The game would go into overtime with Atlanta down two starters.

The Hawks didn’t lead the game through the final four minutes of regulation and overtime, but they were able to show resolve in tough spots. Jeff Teague was really controlling the game for Atlanta, and Kyrie Irving was answering for Cleveland. Jeff Teague would hit a huge three-pointer with 4.4 seconds to go to tie the game up. Teague then forced Irving into a turnover, but they missed the game-winner at the buzzer–and that meant double overtime.

The Cavaliers got five straight points from Kyrie Irving to start the second double OT, but the Hawks would score 15 points on five possessions to lead by two points late. The Cavs got a timely basket to tie it up at 125, but the Hawks had one more chance to win the game. Jeff Teague would make a move with just seven seconds to go, and he hit a mid-range jumper at the buzzer to win:

This was a nice shot for the Hawks and Teague, and he finished with 34 points and 14 assists. The Hawks had four players with 20 points or more, and it was the kind of tough win that they haven’t had on the road this season. Paul Millsap had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Al Horford went for 25 points and eight rebounds before his injury, and Kyle Korver added 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists–including a four point play late in double OT. Kyrie Irving had 40 points and nine assists for the Cavs, and he looked spectacular. Dion Waiters continued his good play with 20 points off the bench for the Cavs as well.

This was a big game for the Hawks, as they move to 16-13 on the season, but they may have a long term loss with Horford and Carroll being injured. The Cavaliers fall to 10-18, and this has been a disastrous season.

We will update you on Horford and Carroll as the news is released.