Cleveland got off to an incredibly hot start and led Atlanta 71-43 at the half. The Cavs continued to roll in the second half and cruised to the easy win.
Turning Point:
The Cavaliers closed the fourth quarter on a 17-4 run, which they used to blow the game open. That seemed to shock Atlanta, who was never able to recover after that.
Key Stat:
Cleveland made their first 11 three-pointers of the game, which was a big reason why they were able to blow the game open so quickly. They set the NBA record with nine straight three's in the first quarter and tied the NBA record with 13 made three's in the first half. They finished the game with 19 on 63.1% shooting from beyond the arc.
Cleveland MVP:
LeBron James was unstoppable in this game as he finished with 32 points with seven assists and six rebounds in just three quarters of work.
Atlanta MVP:
As bad as the night was, Paul Millsap still managed to put forward a solid outing. He finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, even though he sat out of the entire fourth quarter with the rest of the starters.
What Did We Learn?
We've been saying it all season, but this is how good the Cavaliers can be on offense when they move the ball effectively. Everyone shared the ball and hit the man who was open, as they racked up an incredible 38 assists. Cleveland's weapons are way too good to be left wide open like that, but good ball movement can create opportunities like they did tonight for the Cavs.
As for Atlanta, this is the kind of game you forget about as quickly as possible, because nothing went right. This doesn't represent the type of team they are, but they ran into a buzzsaw tonight.
What’s Next?
Cleveland has a day off before hosting the Nuggets on Monday, while the Hawks return home to have the Lakers on Tuesday.
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