CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers continued their hot shooting from long range Monday night at the expense of the Atlanta Hawks.
Six different Cavs made a shot from beyond the 3-point arc in a 104-93 win at Quicken Loans Arena in Game 1 of the best-of-seven second-round series.
The Cavs made 15-of-31 3-point attempts for 48.4 percent. Starters J.R. Smith, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and LeBron James combined to make 12-of-25 from deep.
“I thought we came out with a good rhythm,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. “We got shots we wanted to get. I liked the way we stuck with it [on offense and defense].”
Fifteen 3-pointers in a game isn’t totally shocking considering the Cavs converted 41.3 percent (57-of-138) of their 3-point shots in the first-round 4-0 sweep of the Detroit Pistons. The Cavs’ 107-90 win on April 20 at the Q in Game 2 of that series featured 20 made 3-pointers on 38 attempts by the Cavs.
Smith made 7-of-11 from 3-point range in that game, and Irving and James combined to make 6-of-11 from deep.
Smith led the Cavs in 3-point shooting once again Monday, making 4-of-7 and finishing with 12 points.
James scored a team-high 25 points, Irving scored 21 points and Love added in 17 points. Irving made 3-of-5 from 3-point range, Love 3-of-9 and James 2-of-4.
The Cavs also got a lift from reserves Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye. Jefferson made both of his 3-point attempts and Frye made 1-of-3. Both scored eight points.
Cleveland made 6-of-11 3-pointers in the first quarter, highlighted by a sequence in which Irving made consecutive 3’s to give the Cavs a 16-8 lead at 7:41.
Smith and Frye swished 3’s to end the first quarter as the Cavs led 30-19.
Jefferson made two 3-pointers in the second quarter and Love made one, but the Cavs struggled after that until the third quarter, when they made 4-of-8 from long range.
Love made two 3’s in the third quarter and Smith and James made one apiece. James also made an emphatic right-handed dunk to give the Cavs a 72-54 lead.
The Hawks chipped away at their deficit and trailed 74-70 heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter featured just two 3’s from the Cavs — one each from Irving and Smith — but free-throw shooting (12-of-17 in the quarter) and the play of James led the way.
James finished with 25 points and nine assists and seven rebounds in 41 minutes. Tristan Thompson added eight points and 14 rebounds.
“For a Game 1, I think we learned a lot,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “These guys with their perimeter shooting and their attack [are tough]. They pass the ball well. We need to do a better job of guarding the paint and the 3-point line.”
The Hawks didn’t shoot nearly as well from 3-point range, making 11-of-34 attempts (32.4 percent). Dennis Schroder made 5-of-10 3’s and led the Hawks with 27 points.
“You gotta give them credit — they shot the crap out of the ball [from 3-point range],” Hawks guard Kent Bazemore, who scored 16 points, said. “They are a very aggressive team.”
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBeavenABJ.