De’Andre Hunter drops the hammer on the Hawks with an authoritative shot

De’Andre Hunter pulled off an incredible dunk in Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Cup match against Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

Hunter is in his seventh season in the NBA, his second with the Cavaliers. After coming off the bench upon his arrival, he secured a starting spot this year as he provides solid shooting and defense with his length and athleticism.

The highlight of the wing happened in the first minute of the second quarter. Hunter drove into the paint as Lonzo Ball delivered the ball to him. It was there when he jumped into the air and threw down a one-handed dunk through Mohamed Guey.

As De’Andre Hunter, the Cavaliers played the 1st half against the Hawks

Despite De’Andre Hunter’s impressive dunk highlight reel, the Cavaliers were unable to close out their time in the NBA Cup group stage with a win. They lost 130-123 to the Hawks.

Both teams traded blows during the first half. Atlanta struck first with a 33-23 lead after the first quarter before Cleveland responded by taking a halftime lead. However, their poor defense in the third quarter proved to be costly as they failed to initiate a run to regain the momentum.

Ball movement, turnovers and fast break balls made the difference in this match. The Hawks dominated in all three categories, dishing out 36 assists, limiting the turnovers to 14 and scoring 36 fast breaks. It wasn’t the same for the Cavaliers as they dished out 29 assists, turned the ball over 17 times and scored just 17 points on the fast break.

Four players scored in double figures for Cleveland in the loss, including Hunter. Donovan Mitchell set the nets on fire with 42 points, three rebounds, three assists and steals. He shot 15-of-28 from the field, including 7-of-15 from beyond the arc, and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. It was Evan Mobley’s turn with 20 points and 14 rebounds, Hunter had 16 points and four rebounds, while Darius Garland had 15 points and 10 assists.

Cleveland fell to a 12-8 record on the season, holding fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are in a three-way tie with the Hawks and Orlando Magic while trailing the New York Knicks by one game.

The Cavaliers will look to bounce back in their next game as they are at home. They host the Boston Celtics on November 30th at 6pm ET.