Jaylen Johnson shines in victory over Cavs

The Atlanta Hawks hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday in their final NBA Cup group stage contest, winning 130–123 behind a commanding display Jalen Johnson. The 6-foot-8 forward posted his second triple-double of the year, with 29 points on 9-for-18 shooting, 12 rebounds, 12 assists and two steals, anchoring an Atlanta offense that shot 66.7% in the third quarter and controlled much of the second half.

Through Friday, he was averaging 21.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.7 steals on 54.4% shooting from the field, 39.1% from three and 78.5% from the line.

hawks, playing without Tree Young (knee) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness), depended on quick tempo, crisp passing and their wing players. Nikhil Alexander-Walker added 28 points, including a key pull-away 3-pointer with 47.7 seconds left, while Zachary Rizacher scored 16, including a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:09 left to break a 123-123 tie. The pair led a stretch in which Atlanta held Cleveland scoreless for the final 2:03 and generated a 7-0 run in less than 30 seconds to clinch the victory.

Control of the game changed hands several times. The Cavaliers got off to a 7-0 start, but the Hawks responded with a 21-4 rally to take a 13-point lead into the first quarter. Cleveland went on a 14-0 run in the second, sparked by De’Andre Hunter’s dunk on Mohamed Gueye and a technical foul called by Gueye that helped them go into halftime ahead 62-60.

Atlanta regained control with a 16-4 burst to start the third, building a 97-90 advantage heading into the fourth. The Cavaliers answered again, using a 10-0 run to take a brief lead, but couldn’t close after Johnson and the Hawks stepped up their execution late.

Donovan Mitchell led the scorers with 42 points, his second-highest of the season, his sixth 30-plus game in the last eight games and the 21st 40-point game of his career. Evan Mobley added 20 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, while Darius Garland finished with 15 points and 10 assists, although his five turnovers hurt Cleveland. Hunter scored 16 in his return to Atlanta.

Both teams finished East Group A with a score of 2–2, failing to make the NBA Cup.

The Hawks have now won three of their last four and will face the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.