Atlanta Hawks Fall in Game 3, Cavs lead series 3-0

The Atlanta Hawks fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 121-108, in Game 3. Will the Hawks be able to manage a Game 4 win, or is this the end?

For three quarters of Game 3, it appeared as though the Atlanta Hawks were finally going to get their first win of the series.

The Cavs struggled in the first half of the game, while the Hawks played a solid half – leading by as much as 10 in the second quarter.

The Atlanta Hawks made adjustments early that worked for them for the majority of the game. From intentional fouling to perfectly designed plays, it seemed as though they had finally gotten inside Cleveland’s head.

It was the final and most important period in which the Cavaliers regained control of the game, and finished the game with the lead, 121-108.

The Cleveland defense made the difference in the end, as they stifled the Hawks and increased their lead, from which the Hawks were unable to recover. Additionally, the Cavs outdid the Hawks from three-point range and also in rebounds.

Not surprisingly, their three game was just as prevalent as it had been in Game 2. Though Cleveland didn’t reach their record-setting 25 three pointers, they did come close, with a total of 21 in Game 3.

Cleveland’s game leaders were the usual three, but Channing Frye topped all of them with a total of 27 points to lead the Cavs.

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LeBron James had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, Kyrie Irving scored 24 points, and Kevin Love had 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Al Horford led the Atlanta Hawks with 24 points, followed by Jeff Teague with 19 points and 14 assists. Kyle Korver, who did not start the game, ended up having a good night, totaling 18 points.

Paul Millsap contributed 17 points and led the team in rebounds with a total of 8. One player who didn’t have such a great night was Kent Bazemore, who made just three points all night.

There’s no denying that this is a tough series for the Hawks. According to Kris Humphries, the Cavs’ three-point shooting is, “up there on a Golden State-type level.”

The Atlanta Hawks are also aware that they have one more shot to figure Cleveland out in hopes of a win. According to Horford,

"“At this point, we have to do some changes because what we’ve done hasn’t worked. We felt good about tonight, but we had some mistakes that cost us. I personally, on the defensive end, I know I had a lot of little mistakes. I could’ve been better and in these kind of games against this kind of team, you can’t afford to do that.”"

Next: Atlanta Hawks: Do They Stand a Chance in Game 3?

With the Cavs now holding a 3-0 lead over the Hawks, the series is most likely over. Atlanta desperately needs to pull off a win in Game 4 on Sunday, May 8, in order to stay alive. Catch Game 4 Sunday at 3:30 p.m. EST on ABC.