The Cleveland Cavaliers hope their furious fourth-quarter comeback at Boston was a sign of things to come, especially with the red-hot Atlanta Hawks coming to town Saturday. The Cavaliers answered the bell and rallied from a 19-point deficit to stun the Celtics on Friday and avoid dipping back below .500. They'll face a stronger challenger in the Hawks, who have won four straight after dispatching Miami on Friday.
Cleveland has not lived up to expectations since LeBron James returned, but its star put up a season-high 41 points to fuel Friday's comeback and give the Cavaliers their third straight win. If the Cavs are going to go on a tear, now would be the time — they play eight of their next nine games at home and four of them are against teams with losing records. The Hawks are not included in that group and are coming off an impressive performance against the Heat in which eight players scored in double figures.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), FSN Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (5-3): Atlanta had a chance to showcase its depth against Miami, as Mike Scott, Shelvin Mack and Dennis Schroder all scored in double digits off the bench. The trio provided a nice complement to the starting unit, which hurt the Heat inside and out. Big men Paul Millsap (16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds) and Al Horford (13.9 points, seven rebounds) continue to put up solid numbers in the post, and the backcourt duo of Jeff Teague (16.3 points, 8.0 assists) and Kyle Korver (16.1 points) has been outstanding.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (4-3): Cleveland has plenty of offensive firepower with James (27.1 points, 6.7 assists, 6.4 rebounds), Kyrie Irving (22.7 points) and Kevin Love (17.7 points, 10.9 rebounds) all putting up big numbers, but the defensive chemistry hasn't developed yet. James, who moved into 24th on the all-time scoring list Friday with 23,360 points, put the team on his back down the stretch and scored eight of Cleveland's last nine points. The Cavaliers had few answers on defense, though, which is cause for concern against Atlanta's unselfish and balanced attack.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Hawks have won four straight meetings, including two 19-point victories at home last season and a double-overtime win in their last trip to Cleveland.
2. Atlanta SF DeMarre Carroll, who likely would have drawn the assignment of guarding James for much of the game, will miss his third straight game with a groin injury.
3. James' next target on the career scoring list is Charles Barkley at 23,757.