Schroeder, Hawks end 8-game skid, beat Cavaliers
CLEVELAND (AP) — Dennis Schroeder scored 28 points and the injury-riddled Atlanta Hawks ended an eight-game losing streak, beating the skidding Cleveland Cavaliers 117-115 on Sunday.
The Hawks were missing five players, but still posted their first victory since topping Dallas in the season opener.
Kevin Love of the Cavaliers was taken to a hospital with an illness, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said without disclosing the problem. Love left in the third quarter and had four points and four rebounds in 19 minutes.
Coming off his 57-point performance Friday night at Washington, LeBron James had 26 points and 13 assists for Cleveland. The Cavaliers have lost five of seven.
The Cavaliers cut a 16-point deficit in the second half to two on James’ basket with 21.3 seconds left.
Atlanta’s Isaiah Taylor missed two free throws with 12.1 seconds to go, but Channing Frye missed a 3-pointer and Dwyane Wade’s tip-in fell off the rim.
The Cavaliers have also lost to Orlando, New York, Indiana and Brooklyn during their rocky stretch, which has included three straight defeats at home. Wade kept Cleveland in the game with 19 points in the first half and finished with a season-high 25.
Schroeder scored 11 straight points in the third quarter to kept Atlanta ahead. Cleveland steadily cut into the lead behind Kyle Korver’s 19 points in the fourth.
Atlanta put seven players in double figures, including the five starters. Luke Babbitt, making his first start of the season in place of Mike Muscala (sprained ankle), and Taurean Prince each scored 17 points.
Lue used two timeouts in the first seven minutes as the Hawks raced ahead 27-11.
Cleveland’s opponents came into the game shooting an NBA-best percentage (.416) going into the game. Atlanta hit 11 of 25 3-pointers.
ON THE WAY BACK
Cleveland point guard Isaiah Thomas, acquired as part of the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston, has been doing on-court workouts. The team announced before the season that it hoped he would return by January.
“The staff’s doing a great job trying to get him ready,” Lue said.