Atlanta Hawks (3-3) beat Cleveland Cavaliers (3-2) 114-111 at home on Thursday, October 29, after falling far behind. The Hawks were down 12 at one quarter break and still finished 3 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Cavaliers had the better start, winning the first 28-16 to lead by 12 after one. The Hawks moved in front with a 30-16 second quarter, carrying a 2-point lead into halftime.
The Hawks won the third 43-38 to create some separation, taking a 7-point lead into the fourth. The Cavaliers took the fourth 29-25; the Hawks held on for a 114-111 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Hawks grabbed 29.4% of their own misses, while the Cavaliers recovered 19.1%. The Hawks got more from their shots, finishing at 53.2% effective field-goal shooting compared with 51.1% for the Cavaliers. In a 3-point game, the second chances kept adding up.
The Cavaliers did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 25.3 against 13.7. The Hawks made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 99 possessions per team, the Hawks produced 114.8 points per 100 possessions to 111.7 for the Cavaliers.
Who carried the comeback
Onyeka Okongwu was the game's biggest individual force for ATL: 29 pts, 12 reb, 2 ast on 11-17 shooting. His Game Score of 27.2 led everyone.
James Harden led the Cavaliers with 24 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast on 7-14 shooting, good for a 15.9 Game Score.
Onyeka Okongwu (29 pts, 12 reb, 2 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 60% for the Hawks.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Atlanta Hawks lead 4-3.
The Hawks are now 3-3, and the Cavaliers are 3-2. The Hawks last five before this game: W-W-L-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.