Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points and Evan Mobley had 22 points and a career-high-tying 19 rebounds, powering the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 122-116 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks in a potential Eastern Conference playoff preview Wednesday night.
James Harden put up 21 points on 6-of-23 field-goal shooting and Jarrett Allen netted 16 points for Cleveland (51-29), which is assured of finishing no lower than fourth in the East. The Cavaliers moved within one-half game of the third-place New York Knicks.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 25 points and Jonathan Kuminga added 24 points off the bench for the fifth-place Hawks (45-35), who failed in a bid to clinch a playoff berth. All-Star forward Jalen Johnson had 12 points, 11 rebounds and six assists before fouling out.
Atlanta is one-half game ahead of the Toronto Raptors, but both teams could fall out of the top six and into the play-in tournament.
The Cavaliers have won four straight and six of the past seven, while the Hawks have lost two in a row.
Alexander-Walker produced 10 points in a frantic fourth quarter that saw the Hawks fall behind 105-87, then pull within two three times. On the last occasion, Kuminga hit two free throws to cut Cleveland’s advantage to 118-116 with 2:15 left, but Mitchell answered with four makes from the foul line.
Mitchell had 13 points and Harden added nine in the third when the Cavaliers outscored the Hawks 44-20 to take a commanding 104-87 edge. Cleveland used a 17-3 run spanning halftime, featuring 10 points from Mitchell, to go in front.
Atlanta went ahead for the initial time at 34-33 on Kuminga’s layup early in the second, then extended the gap to 67-60 at the break. Kuminga made 7 of 9 field-goal attempts and scored 14 in the first half.
Mitchell totaled 14 first-half points, including buzzer-beaters in the first and second periods, and Mobley had 16 points and nine rebounds before the break.
Mobley was aggressive from the start, posting 10 points and five rebounds in the first quarter as Cleveland led 33-29. Johnson and Kuminga had six points apiece for the Hawks.
Cavaliers forward Jaylon Tyson (left great toe bone bruise) missed his 10th consecutive game, but coach Kenny Atkinson hasn’t ruled him out for the final two regular-season contests.
Atlanta will be without backup center Jock Landale (right high ankle sprain) until at least late April. He was hurt when Goga Bitadze of the Orlando Magic committed a flagrant foul on April 1.
–Field Level Media
