Kyrie Irving, who has been dealing with a right foot strain the last couple of days, suited up and was in the starting lineup.
The Hawks had a lot of ball movement going on and good floor spacing to start the game. Atlanta was shooting at a 61 percent clip, while Cleveland was at 35 percent. LeBron James picked up two early fouls and was forced to sit down early, but came back in the second frame with an offensive surge. Time after time, he was attacking the paint and getting his points from there as he had 16 points by halftime. J.R. Smith's’ shot was on target throughout the whole night as he notched 11 points during his first 11 minutes of action coming off the bench. The Cavs shooting percentage rose by halftime as it was up to 50 percent
During the third stanza of the game, Atlanta missed eight straight shots as the Cavaliers outscored them, 23-16. The Hawks continued to get damaged by Smith’s proficient three-point shooting to start the final quarter. J.R. Swish made history tonight with a new playoff career-high in scoring and also in the category for most three pointers made with eight.
With 4:59 remaining in regulation, the Hawks suffered a major blow, as DeMarre Carroll went down with a left leg injury after being fouled. Carroll was ultimately carried out to the locker room and would not return.
Atlanta had one more chance to defend their home court as some Deja Vu occurred with the Cavaliers, having missed eight straight shots in the final minutes of the game. The Hawks, however, were not able to climb all the way back from an 18-point deficit, as the Cavs held their lead and stole a win on the road.
Irving played 27 minutes and finished with 10 points. Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 27 points and Horford added 16. As a team, Cleveland put in 10 three-pointers on 38.5 percent shooting.
More news is expected to come on Carroll’s injury as he is expected to undergo an MRI tomorrow. Game 2 will be on Friday, May 22th, at 8:30 P.M. EST at the Philips Arena in Atlanta and will be televised on TNT.