Nickeil Alexander-Walker Scores 25 as the Hawks Beat the Cavaliers 114-111, With Okongwu's 29 Leading Atlanta
Two of the night's top U.S. searches were Hawks. Alexander-Walker's 25 points - and his two free throws with 15.3 seconds left - closed out Cleveland after Atlanta had trailed by 15, on the same floor where the Dream had forced a WNBA Finals Game 7 hours earlier.
The search board and the box score told the same story on Thursday night. 'Nickeil Alexander-Walker' and 'jalen johnson' both sat on the U.S. trending list read by this desk, and both Hawks delivered in Atlanta's 114-111 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm Arena: Alexander-Walker scored 25 points, and Johnson posted 17 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Onyeka Okongwu led Atlanta with a season-high 29 points and 12 rebounds, and Aaron Wiggins added 20 points off the bench.
It did not start that way. Cleveland darted out to a 15-point first-quarter lead - the fourth consecutive game in which Atlanta has trailed by at least 15 - and led 28-16 after one quarter. The Hawks clawed back to lead 46-44 at halftime and 89-82 after three, then had to survive the final minute.
Donovan Mitchell cut Atlanta's lead to one on a driving layup with 20.6 seconds remaining. Alexander-Walker answered at the line, making both free throws with 15.3 seconds left to restore the three-point margin, and Mitchell got two potential tying looks on Cleveland's final possession and missed both. James Harden led the Cavaliers with 24 points and Mitchell finished with 22.
The win snapped Atlanta's three-game losing streak, lifting the Hawks to 3-3, and halted Cleveland's three-game winning streak with the Cavs at 3-2. It was also the second half of a remarkable State Farm Arena doubleheader: hours earlier on the same floor, the Atlanta Dream beat Golden State 80-69 to force the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history. Next up, Cleveland plays at Milwaukee on Saturday night and Atlanta plays at New Orleans.
