The Cavaliers kept trying to give away Thursday’s game, and the Atlanta Hawks finally took it.
Jeff Teague hit a 20-footer that rattled all over the rim and fell through at the buzzer to lift the Hawks to a 127-125 double overtime victory at The Q.
“It’s disappointing,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said as his team lost its third straight game and fifth in the last six to fall to 10-18. “We had plenty of opportunities to close the game at the end of regulation, at end of the first overtime and even at the end of the second overtime.
“But give Atlanta credit. They’re a good team. I just felt we made too many mistakes as a group down the stretch of regulation and overtime and the second overtime — not just offensively but defensively as well.”
After going scoreless for the first time in his career at Atlanta three weeks ago, Kyrie Irving finished with 40 points, 16 in overtime, but he missed a long 3-pointer and then a driving layup near the end of regulation and then turned the ball over on an inbounds play with 2.4 seconds left in the first overtime — one of his six turnovers. The Cavs escaped both miscues, but Teague wouldn’t let them off the hook a third time, tumbling to the court as he got off his big shot.
“I couldn’t even see it, but Kyle [Korver] picked me up and told me what happened,” said Teague, whose 3-pointer tied the score at 108-108 with 4.9 seconds left to send the game into the second overtime. “I’m really happy it went in.”
Said Irving of the shot, “He made a tough play. It’s definitely a heart-breaker. I had some costly turnovers. We turned the ball over too much.”
The Cavs tied their season high with 24 turnovers, but Brown was just as upset with what they did — or did not do — defensively.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online Sports
