Okongwu leads Hawks past Cavs in 114-111 thriller
A double-double from Onyeka Okongwu and late free throws by Nickeil Alexander-Walker secured a victory that ended a three-game losing streak.
By Christian Morales ·
The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 114 to 111 on Thursday night, ending a three-game losing streak in the process.
Onyeka Okongwu led the Hawks with 29 points and 12 rebounds in the win. The 26-year-old forward shot 11 of 17 from the field. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 25 points, while Jalen Johnson contributed 17. Aaron Wiggins scored 20 points off the bench, shooting 8 of 14.
The Cavaliers featured six players with double-digit scoring. James Harden led the visitors with 24 points. Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell, Mario Hezonja, and Sam Merrill each scored more than 10 points.
The Hawks held an 89-82 lead at the start of the third quarter. The Cavaliers erased that deficit to close the gap to 112-111 late in the fourth quarter. Donovan Mitchell drove for a layup to cut the Atlanta lead to one point with 20.6 seconds remaining.
Alexander-Walker made two free throws with 15.3 seconds left to extend the lead to three points. Mitchell had two chances to tie the game on the final possession but missed both shots. The Hawks will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
Source: Atlanta News First
