| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- After Andre Miller got past him for a fourth-quarter layup that cut Atlanta's lead to five points,
Dikembe Mutombo taught the rookie guard a lesson Thursday night.
|  | | Dikembe Mutombo was a force with 21 rebounds and nine blocked shots. |
Mutombo, who finished with 16 points and 21 rebounds in the
Hawks' 108-90 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, got the eighth of
his nine blocked shots the next time Miller challenged him.
The ball ricocheted off the floor and was recovered by Atlanta's Jim Jackson with 2:52 remaining and the Hawks ahead 97-87.
"I didn't know what his name was, anyway," said Mutombo,
Atlanta's 7-foot-2 center. "I didn't even know if he played the
first time we faced them. He's got a lot of speed and talent. He's
a good player. But if beats me once, he won't do it again."
Isaiah Rider scored 30 points for the Hawks, who broke a four-game losing streak. Rider's 3-pointer from the left wing gave
Atlanta a 95-87 lead with 4:11 remaining.
Mutombo, who took only three shots from the floor, was 8-for-8
on free-throw attempts and had 14 defensive rebounds.
Cleveland, trailing by 19 points in the third quarter, closed to
88-85 t the 6:38 mark when Miller stole the ball from Anthony
Johnson and raced down the court for a layup.
But the Cavaliers, who lost their sixth straight, scored only
one more basket following Andrew DeClercq's layup with 5:59
remaining. Shawn Kemp and Bob Sura finished with 17 points each for
Cleveland.
Reserve Cedric Henderson scored 12 points, and Miller, a former Utah standout who had his first career start in a 103-97 loss to
Orlando on Wednesday, added 11 off the bench.
LaPhonso Ellis, who missed the Hawks' first 24 games with a
strained left calf, scored seven points during a 16-0 run and
finished with 17. Ellis returned Wednesday and scored 13 points
during a a 99-81 loss at Boston.
"I knew J.R. would come out and play well," said Hawks coach
Lenny Wilkens, whose club had lost six of its previous seven games.
"But the guy who came out and gave us a huge lift was LaPhonso
Ellis. He was terrific. He missed some shots, but he's going to get
his groove back."
The Cavaliers made 15 of 17 free throws in the first quarter and
led by as many as 11 points. But after Cleveland's Wesley Person
made a 3-pointer at the 7:24 mark of the second quarter, the
Cavaliers never led again.
Trailing by seven points at the start the second quarter, the
Hawks capped a 35-9 run on Jackson's 20-foot jumper. Atlanta
outscored the Cavaliers 15-0 during a three-minute stretch that
ended with Jackson making a 3-pointer at the 4:17 mark.
"The way we were attacking them defensively, and the way they
were attacking us offensively, we became stagnant -- standing and
holding the ball instead of moving it," Cavaliers coach Randy
Wittman said. "It buried us."
Cleveland, which scored only 16 second-quarter points, was
whistled for 13 second-quarter fouls, and the Hawks made 14 of 17
free throws.
Game notes
Bimbo Coles broke his nose for the third time in his
10-year NBA career at the 3:20 mark of the third quarter. Coles,
who did not return, was elbowed by Sura on a fast break. ... Brevin
Knight, who did not dress in the Cavaliers' 103-97 loss to Orlando
on Wednesday, started and wound up with seven points and five
assists.
| |
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
RECAPS
Atlanta 108
Cleveland 90
Orlando 110
Charlotte 106
New Jersey 99
Philadelphia 94
Minnesota 109
Seattle 102
Houston 105
Washington 89
Milwaukee 94
San Antonio 91
Dallas 111
Phoenix 110
Portland 111
Golden State 91
Vancouver 93
Denver 91
LA Clippers 97
Sacramento 91
|
