LOS ANGELES, USA -Atlanta's Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points as the Hawks stunned the National Basketball Association champion Cleveland Cavaliers 114-100 on Friday, April 7 (Saturday in Manila) despite sitting their starters. Particularly in the fourth quarter, when Tim Hardaway scored 15 of his 22 points to solidify the Hawks' win, the defense just looked tiresome and listless.
Jimmy Butler scored 33 points for the Bulls, who fell into a tie with Miami for eighth in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavaliers last two games, both against the Hawks, are emblematic of the 2016-2017 Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue could only laugh and shake his head as he struggled to find the words to sum up the Cavs' stunning loss Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks, who were playing without four of their five top scorers.Any number of words would have been appropriate.
Westbrook broke the record for most triple-doubles in a regular season with his 42nd in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 106-105 victory against the Denver Nuggets.
Atlanta could finish as high as fifth in the East, but a late-season losing streak could knock the Hawks out of playoff contention altogether. Paul Millsap put up 22 points to go along with 9 rebounds after getting the night off against Cleveland on Friday.
G Dennis Schroder made three 3-pointers and scored 18 points.
Al Horford added 16 points and Kelly Olynyk had 13 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season as the Celtics swept the four-game series and pulled within a half-game of the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, Cleveland's opponents in those last two games certainly provide optimism for the Celtics.
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Toronto built their lead early in the fourth, and sealed the game with a 10-0 scoring run that stretched their lead to 98-82 with 5min 36sec to play. The Cavaliers were in the top 10 in multiple defensive categories during their championship season a year ago. By the time the fourth quarter had started, the Cavs lead was up to 26 and it looked as if it was time to get the starters some extra rest.
Elfrid Payton had 10 points and 10 assists, but Orlando's perimeter game was no match for the Pacers' strength around the basket.
Antetokounmpo scored eight points in the third quarter, when the Bucks (41-39) outscored the Sixers 25-12 to take command.
With his triple-double in the books, Westbrook scored his team's final 15 points, including a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded after a timeout with 2.9 seconds left.
The King got 19 points from Skal Labissiere, 14 from Willie Cauley-Stein, 17 from Buddy Hield and 15 from Darren Collison. LeBron James has had another great season, averaging 26.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game this year. The Hawks won the game 123-116.
The Hawks seized control in the final 21 seconds after Kent Bazemore stole an inbound pass from Kevin Love for a layup and Hardaway hit three free throws.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are healthy, top-to-bottom.
Kyrie Irving finished with 45 points, and was too financially conscious to rip the referees afterward.
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