Return of the Mack: Shelvin Mack and Hawks Dominate Cavs, 127-98

20,000 Cleveland fans enjoyed a fast Cavalier start, but were stunned to see the 17-7 Atlanta Hawks rally with authority to win 127-98 inside Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday night.

Impressive first half shooting for the Hawks gave them the lead going into halftime. What made the 12 for 18 three-point shooting start even more impressive was the play of Shelvin Mack coming off the bench.

Mack shot an amazing 5 for 5 from the three-point arc, piling up 17 points before the break. DeMarre Carroll chipped in with 3 field goals from downtown as well. Even though Cleveland star LeBron James had 19 points alone, first half hustle allowed the Hawks to create chaos with 7 turnovers and 8 points in transition.

Cleveland let the confusion carry over to the second half, as Atlanta came out on fire from every spot on the floor, scoring 30 points in the third quarter. What made it worse for the Cavs is that they only managed to score 15 points, allowing the Atlanta lead to grow. Cleveland forward Kevin Love worked hard on the boards with a total of 10 rebounds, it was not enough as the Hawks racked up 58 points in the paint. Shelvin Mack would continue his career night with 24 points and was pivotal in creating the first half comeback to eventually shut down Cleveland.

Atlanta shot 58% from three-point range and 65% from the floor overall. They also showed why they are third in the league in assists as they produced 35. Overall, this night in Cleveland was the biggest win of the year so far for Mike Budenholzer’s squad.

The Hawks displayed a complete team effort with hustle, quality play off the bench, and even an inactive Jeff Teague who was all smiles and cheers watching on. Atlanta will continue their road trip Saturday in Houston as the Rockets will try to cool down the red-hot Hawks.