Joe Johnson scored 28 points and the short-handed Atlanta Hawks rolled to a 103-87 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

Atlanta had only 10 players available, but took an early lead that it never relinquished.

The Hawks built a 19-point lead midway through the third quarter and answered Cleveland’s only run late in the period to win going away.

Alonzo Gee matched a career high with 20 points to lead Cleveland, which has lost three straight. Rookie Kyrie Irving scored 19 points and had 10 assists for his first career double-double.

Atlanta extended its winning streak over Cleveland to six games. Jeff Teague added 18 points for the Hawks and Kirk Hinrich scored 14.

Atlanta shot 55 percent in the first quarter with Johnson scoring 13 points. The Hawks continued their hot shooting in the second quarter, hitting 13 of 21 shots, to build a 59-45 halftime lead.

Cleveland, playing its first game since trading guard Ramon Sessions to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, struggled on both ends of the floor. Atlanta shot 50.6 percent from the field while Cleveland hit 39.3 of its shots.

Atlanta’s biggest lead came at 69-50 before the Cavaliers got back in the game with an 18-5 run that cut the lead to 74-68. Johnson scored at the end of the third quarter and started the fourth with another basket to begin an 8-0 run.

Injuries and illness left the Hawks with a thin roster. Forward Vladimir Radmanovic missed the game with a back injury sustained in Friday’s win over Washington. Forward Marvin Williams (hip flexor), shooting guard Willie Green (hamstring) and point guard Jannero Pargo (stomach virus) were also out.

Williams’ injury has forced coach Larry Drew to use a starting lineup that features Johnson, a six-time All-Star at shooting guard, playing small forward. Teague and Hinrich startedin the backcourt to go with power forward Josh Smith, and center Zaza Pachulia.

Smith scored seven points, hitting 3 of 15 from the field, but had eight rebounds and nine assists.

Rookie Tristan Thompson, the No. 4 pick in the draft, made his first NBA start at center. Thompson is a natural power forward, but Scott hasn’t been pleased with the play of Ryan Hollins and Semih Erden at center. Thompson scored seven points and had six rebounds in 35 minutes.

Antawn Jamison scored 17 points for the Cavaliers, but was 6 for 22 from the field.

NOTES: C Jason Collins, who missed the previous 21 games with a sprained left elbow, played the final three minutes. … Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said C Anderson Varejao (right wrist fracture) will be evaluated by the team’s medical staff this week. Varejao has been sidelined since Feb. 11. … F Luke Walton, acquired in the trade with the Lakers, dressed but didn’t play. He appeared in only nine games with Los Angeles. Walton has been bothered by a back injury most of the season and has recently had gastroenteritis.

Read More: Joe Johnson (F – ATL), Zaza Pachulia (C – ATL), Josh Smith (F – ATL), Kirk Hinrich (G – ATL), Alonzo Gee (F – CLE), Tristan Thompson (F – CLE), Kyrie Irving (G – CLE), Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers

The Atlanta Hawks built a 59-45 halftime lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers behind more hot shooting from Joe Johnson who leads the way with 17 points and five assists. Atlanta jumped out to a 31-19 lead at the end of the first quarter and have been able to keep the Cavaliers at arms length throughout the first half.

Johnson hit 6-7 shots and all three of his three-point attempts in the first half to pace Atlanta with 17. Kirk Hinrich has nine points and Zaza Pachulia eight for Atlanta. Josh Smith has seven points, four rebounds and six assists at the half. Atlanta hit 59 percent of its shots over the first 24 minutes and have 14 assists on 24 made baskets.

Kyrie Irving and Alonzo Gee have 13 points each to lead the Cavaliers. Rookie Tristan Thompson made his first start of the season and went scoreless in 17 minutes in the first half going 0-3 from the field while grabbing three rebounds.

For more on this game Hawks fans should visit Peachtree Hoops and Cavaliers fans should check out Fear The Sword. For more news and analysis from around the NBA head on over to SB Nation’s NBA Basketball page.

Read More: Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks enter Sunday’s game just a half game behind the Indiana Pacers for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers are idle on Sunday so with a win over the Cavaliers, Atlanta will move into fifth place because they own the tiebreaker over Indiana by winning the season series.

The Hawks and Pacers both have better records than fourth place Philadelphia at the moment but the 76ers are assured of a top 4 place in the standings thanks to their lead in the Atlantic Division. Atlanta is just 3.5 games behind the Orlando Magic for third place in the conference.

The Hawks have 22 games remaining in the 66-game regular season schedule with 14 of those at Philips Arena where Atlanta is 13-6 this season.

For more on the Atlanta Hawks check out Peachtree Hoops. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation’s NBA Basketball page.

Joe Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks proved difficult to contain their last time out, using a smaller lineup to create matchup problems for their opponent.

The Cleveland Cavaliers know all too well how formidable Atlanta can be.

The Hawks hope their new-look starting five can remain effective as they try for a sixth consecutive win over the Cavaliers on Sunday.

Johnson was the starting shooting guard but has been switched to small forward for the past four games in place of Marvin Williams, who will miss a third straight game Sunday due to a hip flexor injury. Atlanta (25-19) has moved Kirk Hinrich into the starting backcourt alongside Jeff Teague.

The Hawks improved to 6-3 with Hinrich in the starting five Friday, beating Washington 102-88 behind a season best-tying 34 points from Johnson. Hinrich scored just five points but dished out five assists.

“I like playing a 3 when we’ve got two smaller guys out there who can really penetrate the defense and make plays and guard those little quick guys,” Johnson said. “It’s definitely an advantage for us because now you’ve got three guys out there who can create and make plays for everybody.”

Johnson is averaging 25.2 points – 6.6 more than his season mark – in five games since returning from a lengthy absence due to left knee tendinitis.

That surely doesn’t bode well for the Cavaliers (16-25), who have been outscored by an average of 17.0 points during a five-game losing streak to the Hawks. Johnson missed two of those games due to injury.

Atlanta’s run in this series includes two double-digit road victories last season and a 121-94 home win Jan. 21 in the only meeting this season as Johnson scored 25.

The Cavaliers will have a bit of a different look when they take the court Sunday. Cleveland traded backup point guard Ramon Sessions and relatively unknown Christian Eyenga to the Los Angeles Lakers for Luke Walton, Jason Kapono and a lottery-protected first-round pick in the 2012 draft as well as other considerations.

While Kapono was waived Saturday, Walton, who has appeared in just nine games this season, is looking forward to getting a fresh start.

“First thing I did was get on the laptop and see if we had a chance to make the playoffs – and we’re only (a few) games out,” Walton said. “It’s exciting to be out here, it’s gonna be fun to work with some of these young guys and try to make a run here towards the end of the season.”

The Cavs, though, have followed a season-best three-game win streak by losing their last two games.

Rookie of the Year candidate Kyrie Irving continued his impressive play with 28 points Wednesday, but Cleveland lost 115-105 at Milwaukee.

In an attempt to shake things up, coach Byron Scott plans to start 6-foot-9 rookie Tristan Thompson in place of center Ryan Hollins. Thompson was averaging 6.7 points and 5.7 boards off the bench.

“I’ll just come out and play hard. Set the tone early by rebounding and running the floor and doing what I’ve been doing all year,” said Thompson, selected No. 4 overall in June’s draft. “Atlanta definitely gave us a (hard time) the last time we played them, so we have to come out and play hard, come out early and try to hit them in the mouth.”

Williams, Willie Green (hamstring) and Vladimir Radmanovic (sore back) won’t face Cleveland. Center Jason Collins (elbow), though, is expected to return following a 21-game absence.

A Cleveland Cavaliers-Atlanta Hawks trade of Ramon Sessions for Marvin Williams is starting to make the rounds. At this stage it is really just a rumor, but it is one that has started to pick up steam. The trade makes sense for both teams, especially because neither has to give up a major asset and due to Cleveland still being under the NBA salary cap, the salaries of the two players involved don’t have to match up.

According to The News-Herald, Cavaliers GM Chris Grant even drafted Williams when he was with Atlanta, showing that Grant could have an affinity to acquiring him. Both teams are looking to make a push towards the 2012 Eastern Conference Playoffs, even though the Cavaliers have a bit further to go. Even though Cleveland is at 13-18 this season, it puts the team just one and a half games behind the Boston Celtics (15-17) for the No. 8 seed.

Atlanta is at 20-14 this year, but the team could certainly use a boost on offense and Williams doesn’t seem to fit what the franchise is trying to do. Though this isn’t a trade that would make the front page of sports section in most major cities, it is the type of deal that could net a team that role player that might make the different in March or April. If a trade starts to form though, it’s also possible that Cleveland starts getting better offers for Sessions from teams that need guards even more.

Do you think a trade of Ramon Sessions for Marvin Williams works for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks? Does either team have a realistic shot to go deep into the NBA postseason?

ATLANTA — Hawks coach Larry Drew expected a strong start from his team against Cleveland.

Drew was especially pleased to see Atlanta follow through with a strong finish to put away the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half.

Joe Johnson scored 25 points and the Hawks, coming off a loss that prompted Drew to say they quit, responded with their highest-scoring output of the season in a 121-94 rout Saturday.

“I thought from start to finish we were in an attack mode,” Drew said. “You could see the aggression. You could see the energy.”

The Cavaliers did not have a similar response to an ugly loss that drew strong criticism from their coach. Chicago’s 114-75 blowout of the Cavaliers on Friday was Cleveland’s most lopsided home loss in team history, prompting coach Byron Scott to say: “We didn’t react to their physical play whatsoever, besides the whining.”

Rookie guard Kyrie Irving scored 18 points to lead the Cavaliers, who have lost three straight and six of eight.

“We’re going to see what type of men we have,” Scott said.

“Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to learn, but I don’t think we’re anywhere near rock bottom yet. Last year, we lost 26 in a row, so hopefully we won’t see that streak start again.”

Cleveland’s Antawn Jamison, who had 10 points, bemoaned the team’s back-to-back ugly losses.

“To come out last night and perform the way we did was disappointing,” Jamison said. “But to come out again, after what we talked about, and pretty much give the same performance, is even worse.

“Last night, we didn’t compete at all. But tonight, we do stupid things.”

Scott said the Hawks: “obviously were playing harder than we were.”

Johnson scored 19 points in the first half for Atlanta, which sat all its starters in the final quarter. Jannero Pargo, who opened the fourth with back-to-back 3-pointers, had a season-high 14 points.

Jeff Teague also scored 14 as the Hawks moved past Friday’s 90-76 loss at Philadelphia.

After that defeat, which ended a four-game winning streak, Drew said: “It got tough for us and we quit.”

Teague said the Hawks wanted to make sure they did not have another letdown.

“I think we all wanted to bounce back,” he said. “I don’t think we took (Drew’s criticism) personally. We’ve got to get the killer instinct. I think we’re starting to get better at that.”

The Hawks improved to 5-1 since losing All-Star center Al Horford for three to four months with a torn left pectoral muscle.

“We understood the importance of winning this game before a five-game road trip,” said Josh Smith, who had eight points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

With his team facing a big deficit, Scott also rested his starters in the fourth. Tristan Thompson had 16 points for Cleveland and Alonzo Gee 14.

Thompson had X-rays on his left ankle after the game. He remained in the game after turning his ankle in the fourth quarter.

The Hawks had 31 assists, one below their season high, and 11 steals. Atlanta scored 23 points off Cleveland’s 20 turnovers.

“When we move the ball like that, we become tough to defend,” Drew said. “We’re just a totally different ballclub when we really move the ball.”

The Hawks made 58 percent of their shots in the first half to lead 61-42 at the break, then stretched the lead to 75-46 with a 14-4 run to open the second half.

The Cavaliers had a spirited start, but couldn’t maintain the pace against the Hawks. After a 16-all tie, the Hawks pulled away with a 9-0 run, and kept their lead in double figures through most of the second period.

The Hawks stretched the advantage to 81-51 in the third, and Pargo’s two 3s pushed it to 95-63 early in the fourth.

Notes: Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson was held out for personal reasons. … Irving had seven turnovers and two assists. … Hawks center Zaza Pachulia made his third start and had 13 points. … Guard Kirk Hinrich, who has missed the first 17 games of the season while recovering from left shoulder surgery, said he hopes to play during Atlanta’s upcoming five-game trip. … Dr. Xavier Duralde, who performed the surgery on Horford, checked the center Saturday and said Horford can begin strengthening work in six weeks.

by

Charles Odum, AP Sports Writer

Atlanta Hawks

ATLANTA — Hawks coach Larry Drew expected a strong start from his team against Cleveland.

Drew was especially pleased to see Atlanta follow through with a strong finish to put away the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half.

Joe Johnson scored 25 points and the Hawks, coming off a loss that prompted Drew to say they quit, responded with their highest-scoring output of the season in a 121-94 rout Saturday night.

“I thought from start to finish we were in an attack mode,” Drew said. “You could see the aggression. You could see the energy.”

The Cavaliers did not have a similar response to an ugly loss that drew strong criticism from their coach. Chicago’s 114-75 blowout of the Cavaliers on Friday was Cleveland’s most lopsided home loss in team history, prompting coach Byron Scott to say, “We didn’t react to their physical play whatsoever — besides the whining.”

Rookie guard Kyrie Irving scored 18 points to lead the Cavaliers, who have lost three straight and six of eight.

“We’re going to see what type of men we have,” Scott said. “Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to learn, but I don’t think we’re anywhere near rock bottom yet. Last year we lost 26 in a row, so hopefully we won’t see that streak start again.”

Cleveland’s Antawn Jamison, who had 10 points, bemoaned the team’s back-to-back ugly losses.

“To come out last night and perform the way we did was disappointing,” Jamison said. “But to come out again, after what we talked about, and pretty much give the same performance, is even worse.

“Last night, we didn’t compete at all. But tonight, we do stupid things.”

Scott said the Hawks “obviously were playing harder than we were.”

Johnson scored 19 points in the first half for Atlanta, which sat all its starters in the final quarter. Jannero Pargo, who opened the fourth with back-to-back 3-pointers, had a season-high 14 points.

Jeff Teague also scored 14 as the Hawks moved past Friday night’s 90-76 loss at Philadelphia.

After that defeat, which ended a four-game winning streak, Drew said: “It got tough for us and we quit.”

Teague said the Hawks wanted to make sure they did not have another letdown.

“I think we all wanted to bounce back,” he said. “I don’t think we took (Drew’s criticism) personally. We’ve got to get the killer instinct. I think we’re starting to get better at that.”

The Hawks improved to 5-1 since losing All-Star center Al Horford for three to four months with a torn left pectoral muscle.

“We understood the importance of winning this game before a five-game road trip,” said Josh Smith, who had eight points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

With his team facing a big deficit, Scott also rested his starters in the fourth. Tristan Thompson had 16 points for Cleveland and Alonzo Gee added 14.

Thompson had X-rays on his left ankle after the game. He remained in the game after turning his ankle in the fourth quarter.

The Hawks had 31 assists, one below their season high, and 11 steals. Atlanta scored 23 points off Cleveland’s 20 turnovers.

“When we move the ball like that, we become tough to defend,” Drew said. “We’re just a totally different ballclub when we really move the ball.”

The Hawks made 57.8 percent of their shots in the first half to lead 61-42 at the break, then stretched the lead to 75-46 with a 14-4 run to open the second half.

The Cavaliers had a spirited start but couldn’t maintain the pace against the Hawks. After a 16-all tie, the Hawks pulled away with a 9-0 run and kept their lead in double figures through most of the second period.

The Hawks stretched the advantage to 81-51 in the third quarter, and Pargo’s two 3-pointers pushed it to 95-63 early in the fourth.

Notes: Cavaliers G Daniel Gibson was held out for personal reasons. … Irving had seven turnovers and two assists. … Hawks C Zaza Pachulia made his third start and had 13 points. … G Kirk Hinrich, who has missed the first 17 games of the season while recovering from left shoulder surgery, said he hopes to play during Atlanta’s upcoming five-game trip. … Dr. Xavier Duralde, who performed the surgery on Horford, checked the center on Saturday and said Horford can begin strengthening work in six weeks.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 21, 2012

ATLANTA — Hawks coach Larry Drew expected a strong start from his team against Cleveland.

Drew was especially pleased to see Atlanta follow through with a strong finish to put away the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half.

Joe Johnson scored 25 points and the Hawks, coming off a loss that prompted Drew to say they quit, responded with their highest-scoring output of the season in a 121-94 rout Saturday night.

“I thought from start to finish we were in an attack mode,” Drew said. “You could see the aggression. You could see the energy.”

The Cavaliers did not have a similar response to an ugly loss that drew strong criticism from their coach. Chicago’s 114-75 blowout of the Cavaliers on Friday was Cleveland’s most lopsided home loss in team history, prompting coach Byron Scott to say, “We didn’t react to their physical play whatsoever — besides the whining.”

Rookie guard Kyrie Irving scored 18 points to lead the Cavaliers, who have lost three straight and six of eight.

“We’re going to see what type of men we have,” Scott said. “Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to learn, but I don’t think we’re anywhere near rock bottom yet. Last year we lost 26 in a row, so hopefully we won’t see that streak start again.”

Cleveland’s Antawn Jamison, who had 10 points, bemoaned the team’s back-to-back ugly losses.

“To come out last night and perform the way we did was disappointing,” Jamison said. “But to come out again, after what we talked about, and pretty much give the same performance, is even worse.

“Last night, we didn’t compete at all. But tonight, we do stupid things.”

Scott said the Hawks “obviously were playing harder than we were.”

Johnson scored 19 points in the first half for Atlanta, which sat all its starters in the final quarter. Jannero Pargo, who opened the fourth with back-to-back 3-pointers, had a season-high 14 points.

Jeff Teague also scored 14 as the Hawks moved past Friday night’s 90-76 loss at Philadelphia.

After that defeat, which ended a four-game winning streak, Drew said: “It got tough for us and we quit.”

Teague said the Hawks wanted to make sure they did not have another letdown.

“I think we all wanted to bounce back,” he said. “I don’t think we took [Drew's criticism] personally. We’ve got to get the killer instinct. I think we’re starting to get better at that.”

The Hawks improved to 5-1 since losing All-Star center Al Horford for three to four months with a torn left pectoral muscle.

“We understood the importance of winning this game before a five-game road trip,” said Josh Smith, who had eight points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

With his team facing a big deficit, Scott also rested his starters in the fourth. Tristan Thompson had 16 points for Cleveland and Alonzo Gee added 14.

Thompson had X-rays on his left ankle after the game. He remained in the game after turning his ankle in the fourth quarter.

The Hawks had 31 assists, one below their season high, and 11 steals. Atlanta scored 23 points off Cleveland’s 20 turnovers.

“When we move the ball like that, we become tough to defend,” Drew said. “We’re just a totally different ballclub when we really move the ball.”

The Hawks made 57.8 percent of their shots in the first half to lead 61-42 at the break, then stretched the lead to 75-46 with a 14-4 run to open the second half.

The Cavaliers had a spirited start but couldn’t maintain the pace against the Hawks. After a 16-all tie, the Hawks pulled away with a 9-0 run and kept their lead in double figures through most of the second period.

The Hawks stretched the advantage to 81-51 in the third quarter, and Pargo’s two 3-pointers pushed it to 95-63 early in the fourth.

Notes

• Cavaliers G Daniel Gibson was held out for personal reasons.
• Irving had seven turnovers and two assists.
• Hawks C Zaza Pachulia made his third start and had 13 points.
• G Kirk Hinrich, who has missed the first 17 games of the season while recovering from left shoulder surgery, said he hopes to play during Atlanta’s upcoming five-game trip.
• Dr. Xavier Duralde, who performed the surgery on Horford, checked the center on Saturday and said Horford can begin strengthening work in six weeks.

It appears for the Cleveland Cavaliers that the best way to recover from a blowout loss is to experience another blowout loss the following night. There goes the concept of picking yourself up and dusting yourself off after a major embarrassment.

Antawn Jamison of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Wikimedia Commons

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Atlanta Hawks by the Score of 121-94 on Saturday, January 21. With the loss, Cleveland falls to 6-9 on the year having lost their last three, while Atlanta improves to 12-5.

Coming into the game, the Cavaliers were still trying to recover from the embarrassing 114-75 loss to the Chicago Bulls the night before. To make matters worse, Chicago was playing in Cleveland and without reigning MVP Derrick Rose. Chicago was physical, and Cleveland folded.

Surely they would learn their lesson and put up a fight against Atlanta.

There appeared to be no veteran presence in the game as the two rookies were the leading performers for the Cavs. Kyrie Irving led the scoring with 18 points shooting a remarkable 8-10 from the field. Off the bench, Tristan Thompson contributed 16 points and five rebounds in a 6-7 performance from the field.

Anderson Varejao had nine rebounds on the night but only scored three points and Antawn Jamison was held to just 10 points.

The Cavaliers shot .486 from the field but it simply was not enough.

For the Hawks, Joe Johnson shined on the night putting up 25 points with three rebounds and four assists. Josh Smith grabbed 11 boards for Atlanta. As a team the Hawks shot .554 from the field. It is no wonder Cleveland simply could not keep up.

As a Cavs fan it is often hard to keep expectations realistic. Last season was so awful that I often try to forget about it even existing. This season I fully realize they are a lottery team but I still want so badly for them to perform as if they are playoff contenders. I know there will be no championship this season so I have to enjoy each game for the athletic competition that it is. It’s hard, but it is realistic.

The Cavs will have a couple of nights off before they travel to face the Miami Heat on Tuesday, January 24.

More Cleveland Cavaliers Commentary from this Contributor:

Cleveland Cavaliers dominated by Bulls, fall 114-75: A fan’s reaction

Cleveland Cavaliers win reinforces belief in team: A fan’s take

Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving charge past Suns 101-90: A fan’s reaction

Cleveland Cavaliers fall short in Utah 113-105: A fan’s reaction

Cleveland Cavaliers bested by Portland Trail Blazers 98-78: A fan’s reaction

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is an avid Cleveland Cavaliers fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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ATLANTA, Jan. 21 (UPI) — Joe Johnson pumped in 25 points and the Atlanta Hawks connected on 11 three-pointers Saturday in their 121-94 rout of Cleveland.

Jannero Pargo and Jeff Teague each netted 14 points as the Hawks bounced back from a disappointing 90-76 loss to Philadelphia Friday.

They scorched the net to the tune of 55.4 percent shooting from the field en route to their fifth win in six contests.

The Cavaliers got 18 points from Kyrie Irving, but it wasn’t enough to prevent their third straight defeat.