Cavaliers hold on to beat Hawks after 44-point third quarter

CLEVELAND — In what could be a dress rehearsal for the first round of the playoffs, the Cavaliers couldn't have been more impressive. Well, at least through three quarters. After building an 18-point lead with about 10 minutes to play, they had to hang on for dear life in their 122-116 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday at Rocket Arena. The surging Hawks embarked on an impressive 18-2 run to climb back in the game. Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell, who led all scorers with 31 points, buried four free throws in the final 1:32 to salt away the game. "It's not the playoffs yet, but it was playoff intensity," Mitchell said. "It's hard to beat a team like that by 20. They are a really talented team, well-coached. Friday will be the same thing. We'll let the chips fall as they may." Mitchell went 12-for-19 from the field and added seven rebounds, four assists and one block. Cleveland (51-29), which has won 10 of its last 12 games, travels to Atlanta on Friday for the back end of the two-game set. If the playoffs started today, these teams would square off in the first round. Cleveland sits in the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, with Atlanta No. 5. The Cavs erupted for a 44-point outburst in the third quarter and led 104-87 entering the final period. The Hawks (45-35), a half-game up on No. 6 Toronto, made things interesting in the late-going before falling short. "I loved the reps (we got)," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. "We had the core four in at the end. It was a playoff-type game. We were able to execute at the end. We did a lot of good things." Cavs power forward Evan Mobley was a beast around the basket by tying his career high with 19 rebounds to go along with 22 points and three blocks. "Evan played with great force," Atkinson said. "I thought he was great tonight." The Cavs have simplified Mobley's role in the second half and it's paid off. "I'm in a good spot right now," he said. Mobley's sidekick, center Jarrett Allen, finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. However, his right knee — which caused him to miss 10 games earlier in the season — seemed to be bothering him. "He's going through some stuff," Atkinson said. "He'll get treatment (today) and we'll see where we're at." Atkinson said he'll meet with the front office and coaching staff today to set a plan for who will play Friday and Sunday against Washington in the regular-season finale. "Some will play, some won't," he said. Point guard James Harden had an off-shooting night — 6-for-23 from the field — but ended with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Guard Nickell Alexander-Walker paced the Hawks with 25 points, while forward Jonathan Kuminga added 24. Cleveland put the defensive clamps on forward Jalen Johnson (4-for-16 from the field for 12 points) and guard CJ McCollum (6-for-16 for 12 points). Both Johnson and defensive whiz Dyson Daniels fouled out. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X. Cavaliers 122, Hawks 116 ATLANTA (116): Daniels 5-11 1-2 12, Johnson 4-16 4-4 12, Okongwu 7-10 3-4 18, Alexander-Walker 10-19 1-1 25, McCollum 6-16 0-0 12, Gueye 1-3 0-0 3, Kispert 0-0 0-0 0, Kuminga 11-20 0-1 24, Vincent 3-3 1-3 10. Totals 47-98 10-15 116. CLEVELAND (122): Mobley 8-15 6-10 22, Wade 3-4 0-0 8, Allen 4-9 8-11 16, Harden 6-23 5-5 21, Mitchell 12-19 6-6 31, Strus 3-7 0-0 8, Ellis 1-4 2-2 5, Merrill 2-3 0-0 6, Schroder 2-4 1-1 5. Totals 41-88 28-35 122. Atlanta&emsp;29&emsp;38&emsp;20&emsp;29&emsp;—&emsp;116Cleveland&emsp;33&emsp;27&emsp;44&emsp;18&emsp;—&emsp;122 3-Point Goals—Atlanta 12-34 (Alexander-Walker 4-9, Vincent 3-3, Kuminga 2-7, Gueye 1-2, Okongwu 1-2, Daniels 1-3, McCollum 0-3, Johnson 0-5), Cleveland 12-33 (Harden 4-10, Merrill 2-3, Wade 2-3, Strus 2-5, Ellis 1-4, Mitchell 1-4, Schroder 0-1, Mobley 0-3). Fouled Out—Atlanta 2 (Daniels, Johnson), Cleveland None. Rebounds—Atlanta 43 (Johnson 11), Cleveland 47 (Mobley 19). Assists—Atlanta 23 (Daniels, Johnson 6), Cleveland 22 (Harden, Mitchell 4). Total Fouls—Atlanta 25, Cleveland 14. A—19,432 (19,432)