Okongwu, Hawks hold off Cavaliers on Thursday night
ATLANTA (Interstat) — Onyeka Okongwu scored a season-high 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks held off the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-111 on Thursday night at State Farm Arena. Atlanta used a balanced supporting effort, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker adding 25 points, Aaron Wiggins 20 and Jalen Johnson 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. The Hawks shot 42 of 95 from the floor, made 17 of 43 3-point attempts and collected 15 offensive rebounds. Cleveland got 24 points from James Harden, 22 from Donovan Mitchell, 16 from Sam Merrill and 14 from Jarrett Allen. The Cavaliers shot 38 of 87 overall and 13 of 42 from beyond the arc, and they finished with nine offensive rebounds. Atlanta led late before Alexander-Walker made two free throws with 15.3 seconds left. Mitchell cut the deficit to one with a driving layup at 20.6 seconds but Cleveland could not convert on its final possession. Attendance was 15,025.