Sport
Sport Hawks clinch East Group C in NBA Cup with win, Bulls loss
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ESPN News Services
Nov 29, 2024, 10:57 PM ET
ATLANTA — De’Andre Hunter scored 23 points off Atlanta’s bench and the Hawks beat Cleveland 117-101 on Friday in the NBA Cup, handing the Cavaliers a loss for the second time in three days.
Later Friday night, the Hawks clinched East Group C in the NBA Cup when Chicago lost to visiting Boston. They became the first team from the East to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals, joining the Rockets and Warriors from the West.
The Cavaliers (17-3) still boast the NBA’s best record, but they again couldn’t match the Hawks’ scoring depth. Trae Young had 21 points and 11 assists and Jalen Johnson added 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as Atlanta finished with six scorers in double figures.
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 29 points and Evan Mobley contributed 24 points, including seven dunks.
Atlanta won 135-124 at Cleveland on Wednesday night as Young set a career high with 22 assists. Young leads the NBA in assists at 12.5 per game. He is averaging 15.3 assists over his past six contests, the most over a six-game span in Hawks history.
He is also the second player in the past 30 seasons to average 20 points and 15 assists in a two-game span against the team with the best record in the NBA. He joins Chris Paul in 2009 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Led by Hunter, Atlanta’s bench outscored Cleveland’s reserves 50-28.
After leading 52-50 at halftime, Clint Capela helped the Hawks pull away in the third quarter. Capela had three consecutive baskets as the Hawks stretched the lead to 67-57.
The Hawks matched their scoring high for a quarter this season by outscoring the Cavaliers 39-23 in the third period. They also scored 39 points in the second quarter of a 121-116 win over the New York Knicks on Nov. 6.
Atlanta visits Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
