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ATLANTA – That’s what they call grit and grind.
The under-equipped Cleveland Cavaliers, in the midst of their most grueling road trip of the season and on a losing two-game skid, rallied 15 points in the second half to stun the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night, 96- 91.
For months, head coach JB Bickerstaff preached about a specific identity for the Cavaliers. Saturday introduced him.
No Kevin Love. No Isaac Okoro. No Dylan Windler. Another slow start, which led to a 15-point hole on the road against a top team that had won four of their first five games and had just picked up a huge win the night before in Brooklyn. The three-point shots didn’t come early. There were size differences all over the pitch. But none of that mattered. Bickerstaff’s message after Thursday’s loss to Indiana, that about dealing with the adversity at stake, clearly echoed.
The determined Cavs didn’t allow the frustration to gain the upper hand. Instead, they kept pushing. Suddenly, it was a game of two possession at the start of the fourth quarter. Then Cleveland finally got over the bump, nudging ahead at 9:47.
Even when the Hawks tied the game with a last-minute Bogdan Bogdanovic triple, the Cavs stayed together, calmly ran their attack and returned the ball to their most prolific goalscorer, Collin Sexton, who smashed the tie – a cool 3. with 27.2 seconds remaining.
Sexton scored 27 points, a team-high, including 13 in the fourth quarter, half of Cleveland’s total production. Sexton is the first player with at least 20 points in each of the Cavs’ first six games of a season since LeBron James in 2004-05. He is the fourth player to accomplish the feat in franchise history, joining James, Austin Carr and Bingo Smith.
JaVale McGee provided a huge boost off the bench, scoring 14 points to go with nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. André Drummond recorded another double-double, with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
As the Hawks played the second night of a game in a row, Bickerstaff spoke about the importance of starting quickly, hoping to take advantage of Atlanta’s tired legs. Even though that didn’t happen, the Cavs kept the pressure on overnight – and upped it further in the last 24 minutes – until the league’s most prolific offense gave way. unusual, scoring only 35 points.
This is the first time this entire season that the Hawks have been held below the 100-point threshold.
Last Sunday’s victory over Philadelphia punctuated a surprising opening week. But the Cavs have looked completely different since then. In part, because they are. Even on the shorthand, missing a few key pieces of the rotation, they have the same DNA, the one Bickerstaff tries to instill in his oversized group: Grit and grind.
This is how you start to change the culture.
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The Cavs will travel to Orlando for two straight games. The first is Monday, with a tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
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New Cavs Face Masks For Sale: Here’s where you can purchase Cleveland Cavaliers-themed face coverings for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($ 14.99) and a 3-pack ($ 24.99). All NBA profits have been donated to charity.
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