CLEVELAND — With the NBA regular season winding down, the Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 122-116 in a potential first-round playoff preview on Wednesday, April 8, at Rocket Arena.
Whether the Cavs would put the pedal to the metal in an effort to win was a question entering the game, but coach Kenny Atkinson said Cleveland would operate normally instead of holding back. It proved to be true. The Cavs will be either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The No. 4 seed is the likeliest outcome, and it also would position the Cavs to face the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the second round, provided both teams advance, instead of the second-place Boston Celtics. The Cavs have not been secretive about this: They view a matchup with Detroit as favorable to Cleveland.
Meanwhile, the Hawks failed to clinch a playoff spot and the Southeast Division title with a win in Cleveland. The Hawks and Cavs will meet again on Friday, April 10, in Atlanta.
Here is how Cavs (51-29) versus Hawks (45-35) unfolded through our updates:
Cavs defeat Hawks 122-116
Guard Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 31 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Forward Evan Mobley had 22 points and 19 rebounds. Point guard James Harden added 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. Center Jarrett Allen produced 16 points and eight rebounds.
The Hawks were led by guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker and forward Jonathan Kuminga with 25 and 24 points, respectively. Hawks guard and Canton native CJ McCollum finished with 12 points. He was one of seven Atlanta players who scored in double figures.
Cavs win challenge, and Hawks forward Dyson Daniels fouls out with 1:13 left in fourth quarter
Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell was originally called for an offensive foul while driving against Hawks forward Dyson Daniels, but Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson challenged the call and won. During the replay review, the officials determined Daniels had committed the foul, not Mitchell. It was Daniels’ sixth foul of the game, so he fouled out.
Then Mitchell made two free throws to extend the Cavs’ lead to 122-116.
Donovan Mitchell’s free throws give Cavs 120-116 lead vs. Hawks
With 1:32 left in the fourth quarter, Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell made two free throws, giving Cleveland a 120-116 lead.
The Hawks had cut the Cavs’ lead to 118-116 when forward Jonathan Kuminga dunked in transition after guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s steal against Cavs point guard James Harden.
On heels of Hawks’ 10-0 run, All-Star forward Jalen Johnson fouls out vs. Cavaliers
After the Hawks went on a 10-0 run to create a tense atmosphere, Atlanta All-Star forward Jalen Johnson fouled out with 3:50 left in the fourth quarter.
The foul occurred on a 3-point attempt by Cavs point guard James Harden. Harden made all three foul shots to give the Cavs a 117-112 lead.
Hawks rally with 9-0 run and slice Cavs’ lead to 112-109 with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter
Shortly after Hawks All-Star forward Jalen Johnson checked out of the game with his fifth foul, Atlanta went on a 9-0 run and trimmed Cleveland’s lead to 112-109 with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter.
Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker made two jump shots during the run, including a 3-pointer.
Hawks lose challenge on Jalen Johnson foul with 7:25 left and Cavs leading 110-100
The officials whistled Hawks All-Star forward Jalen Johnson for a loose-ball foul with 7:25 left in the fourth quarter, and Atlanta coach Quin Snyder challenged the call in an attempt to sidestep Johnson picking up his fifth foul of the game.
The challenge was unsuccessful because the replay review showed Johnson had pushed Cavs point guard James Harden in an effort to secure the ball. Johnson checked out of the game.
The Cavs led 110-100 at the time.
Hawks cut Cavs’ lead to 110-98 with 8:11 left in the fourth quarter
The Cavs led by 17 points at the end of the third quarter. With 8:11 remaining in the fourth quarter, they led by 12 points.
Hawks guard and Canton native CJ McCollum got a jump shot to roll in with 8:12 left, deflating the Cavs’ cushion to 110-98 and leading to a timeout.
Cavs put up 44-point quarter, lead Hawks entering 4th
Donovan Mitchell is red hot right now, and the Cavs just put up a 44-point third quarter to take a 104-87 lead into the fourth.
Mitchell is up to 27 points on 12-for-15 from the floor and is almost scoring at will. He also used that gravity to lead to a Max Strus 3 just before the buzzer.
Mitchell also hit a step-back 3 to beat the shot clock late in the quarter, helping to lead to Cleveland’s current 17-point advantage.
Evan Mobley, Cavs building lead vs Hawks
Evan Mobley is up to 18 points and 12 rebounds tonight, and the Cavs now lead Atlanta 91-82 with 3:01 to go in the third quarter.
Cleveland has been successful all through the third quarter of getting ball to the rim. At the same time, the Hawks’ 3-point shooting has slowed. They’ve missed their last five 3s, and the Cavs are out-scoring the Hawks 31-15 since halftime.
James Harden gives Cavs the lead over Hawks in third quarter
James Harden buried back-to-back 3s, and the Cavs have retaken the lead over Atlanta, 81-76, with 6:59 left in in the second quarter.
Harden hasn’t had the best offensive night, but he’s started to heat up and joined Donovan Mitchell, who has a game-high 22 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the floor. Those two have the Cavs holding a small lead.
Cleveland also has done a better job in this quarter of getting the ball into the paint with Jarrett Allen, who has seven points since halftime.
And if this is a preview of the first round of the playoffs, it’s been a good one.
Cavs, Hawks score update at halftime
The Hawks will take a 67-60 lead into halftime.
Donovan Mitchell did bank in a jumper at the first-half buzzer, but the Hawks controlled that second quarter while out-scoring Cleveland 38-27.
Mitchell has 14 points at the half on 6-for-7 shooting. Evan Mobley has a game-high 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting and already has a double-double with 10 rebounds.
The Hawks have hit half of their 18 3-pointers, a trend that has been hurting the Cavs all season. Kuminga has been terrific off the bench with 14 points at the half.
Hawks lead Cavs in second quarter
The Hawks offense began to heat up just as the Cavs started to struggle, and Atlanta has taken a 60-54 lead with three minutes left in the second quarter.
Atlanta has shot 65 percent from the floor, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range this quarter. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jonathan Kuminga have led the charge with eight points each.
The Cavs have fallen out of a rhythm, hitting only 44 percent of their attempts from the floor this quarter and one of their seven 3-point attempts. Keon Ellis has missed all three of his 3-point attempts this quarter.
Cavs lead Hawks 33-29 at end of first quarter
The Cavs led the Hawks 33-29 at the end of the first quarter.
All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell made a layup at the buzzer to extend the Cavs’ lead to four points.
Forward Evan Mobley made a pair of free throws with 37.4 seconds left in the first quarter to give the Cavs a 31-29 lead. Mobley missed his first two foul shots of the quarter and then made four in a row. He led the Cavs with 10 points and five rebounds in the opening quarter.
The Hawks were paced in the first quarter by forwards Jalen Johnson and Jonathan Kuminga, both of whom scored six points.
Cleveland Cavaliers lead Atlanta Hawks 21-16 with 4:05 remaining in the first quarter
The Cavs held a 21-16 advantage during a timeout with 4:05 left in the first quarter.
Cavs forward Dean Wade is off to a strong start in his return from injury. He has six points on 2-of-2 shooting on 3-pointers.
The Hawks are trying to push the pace and hurt the Cavs in transition. Although the sample size is small, Atlanta leads 5-2 in fast-break points thus far.
Cavs jump out to 11-5 lead vs. Hawks
The Cavs led the Hawks 11-5 with 8:25 left in the first quarter. The scoring out of the gate consisted of a 5-0 run by the Cavs, a 5-0 run by the Hawks and a 6-0 run by the Cavs.
Cavs point guard James Harden had five points at this early stage. He made a 3-pointer and a floater.
Below is some pregame information.
Who will the Cleveland Cavs play in the first round of the NBA playoffs?
Entering April 8, the Cavs were positioned to face the Hawks in the first round because the Cavs and Hawks were in fourth and fifth place in the East standings, respectively.
The Cavs and Hawks entered April 8 tied in their 2025-26 regular-season series with one win apiece.
Cavs’ remaining regular-season schedule
After the Cavs face the Hawks on April 8, Cleveland will have two regular-season games left.
When do the NBA playoffs start?
The Play-In Tournament is slated to run from April 14-17. The playoffs are slated to begin April 18.
The top six teams in each conference at the end of regular season automatically qualify for the playoffs. The teams placing seventh through 10th compete in the Play-In Tournament for the final two playoff seeds.
The Cavs have clinched home-court advantage in the first round.
Cleveland Cavs injury report vs. Hawks. Cavaliers announce Donovan Mitchell and Dean Wade are available to play
The Cavs ruled out center Thomas Bryant (left calf strain). They also ruled out wing Jaylon Tyson (left big toe bone bruise) after downgrading his status from questionable to doubtful.
The Cavs announced guard Donovan Mitchell (right ankle sprain) and forward Dean Wade (right ankle sprain) are available to face the Hawks. They were previously listed as questionable.
Cavs starters vs. Hawks
In Wade’s first game since March 24, he started alongside guards James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, forward Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen.
Wade missed seven consecutive games.
Atlanta Hawks injury report vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Hawks ruled out center Jock Landale (right high ankle sprain).
Cavs game on TV today. How can I watch, stream or listen to Cavaliers vs. Hawks?
The April 8 game between the Cavs and Hawks will be televised nationally by ESPN and locally by FanDuel Sports Network — Ohio. The local radio broadcast can be heard via WTAM (1100-AM) or WMMS (100.7-FM).
The Akron Beacon Journal sports department can be contacted via email at bjsports@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers score, recap vs Hawks. Highlights, stats from Cavs win
Reporting by Nate Ulrich and Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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