Onyeka Okongwu delivered a season-high 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker calmly sank two free throws with 15.3 seconds remaining to lift the host Atlanta Hawks to a 114-111 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. The win allowed the Hawks to halt a three-game skid while simultaneously snapping Cleveland’s three-game winning streak. Additionally, the result extended Atlanta’s home winning streak against the Cavaliers to five games.
Atlanta appeared headed for a comfortable finish when it established a 10-point lead with 4:34 remaining in regulation. However, Cleveland mounted a furious late charge, twice cutting the deficit to a single point. Donovan Mitchell ignited the visitor’s final push with a basket that narrowed the gap to 112-111 with 21 seconds left on the clock. After Alexander-Walker converted his crucial foul shots to push the margin back to three points, the Atlanta defense stood tall under intense pressure, successfully contesting two potential game-tying 3-point attempts by Mitchell in the closing seconds.
Okongwu anchored the winning effort by shooting 11-for-17 from the floor, a stellar performance that included four 3-pointers. Alexander-Walker matched that perimeter output by going 8-for-17 overall and also sinking four shots from beyond the arc. Providing a major spark off the bench, Aaron Wiggins added a season-high 20 points along with seven rebounds, while Jalen Johnson chipped in 17 points for the hosts.
The Cavaliers relied heavily on strong individual scoring nights, led by James Harden with a season-high 24 points and Mitchell with 22. Sam Merrill also provided valuable bench production by hitting four 3-pointers to finish with 16 points.
The contest’s early stages favored the visitors. Cleveland clamped down defensively in the opening period, holding Atlanta to just 23.8 percent shooting—marking a season low for fewest points scored by the Hawks in any single quarter. Fueled by an early 10-3 run, the Cavaliers established a 28-16 advantage and later extended it to 35-24 with 7:22 remaining in the second quarter.
Atlanta responded before the break, putting together a 13-2 surge that culminated in Okongwu’s runner tying the game at 35-33 before eventually leveling at 43-43 at the 4:33 mark. The Hawks eventually claimed a 46-44 edge by halftime and immediately seized momentum in the third quarter when Alexander-Walker hit a 3-pointer to push the lead to 61-50 with 9:14 on the clock.
Cleveland trimmed the deficit back to 83-82 late in the frame, sparked by nine third-quarter points from Harden. However, the Hawks answered with a high-scoring 43-point period of their own to take an 89-82 lead into the final quarter, establishing just enough cushion to survive the Cavaliers’ frantic finish.
