Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James drives against Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford, forward DeMarre Carroll and forward Paul MillsapDavid Richard
The Cavaliers' largest loss of the season didn't sit well with coach David Blatt.
"That was embarrassing, how we played," he said after the Atlanta Hawks routed Cleveland 127-98 on Wednesday night. "I apologize to all the good fans who came out here. Really, just a poor, poor performance."
Shelvin Mack scored a career-high 24 points and the Hawks won for the 11th time in 12 games.
Mack, a reserve guard who came in averaging 3.8 points, made all six of his 3-pointers as the Hawks went 16 for 28 from behind the arc.
Trailing 50-38 midway through the second quarter, Atlanta outscored Cleveland 89-48 the rest of the way. The Hawks, playing without leading scorer Jeff Teague, avenged a 127-94 defeat in Cleveland on Nov. 15.
"We got blown out the first game, like blown all the way out," Mack said. "That wasn't a great feeling. We wanted to come back and see what we're made of."
LeBron James scored 21 points but didn't play in the fourth quarter, which began with Atlanta leading 95-75.
While Blatt said he didn't see any fight in his team, James didn't find the loss embarrassing, but said the team had a setback defensively. The four-time MVP took an analytical approach to the defeat, Cleveland's third in four games since winning eight straight.
"We allowed them to get too many open looks," he said. "This is a well-coached team that we played. It reminds you of playing San Antonio, that system. They move the ball and get you in uncomfortable positions."
Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer, a longtime Spurs assistant before taking over the Hawks last season, was understandably pleased with the performance.
"It's a great team win," he said. "You go up and down the roster, different guys contributing at different times. That's what we're trying to build, is a team."
Al Horford scored 20 points and Mike Scott added 15 for Atlanta, which had seven players in double figures and shot 64.5 per cent from the field.
The Hawks went 24 for 35 in the first half and continued to slice up Cleveland's defence in the third quarter. Paul Millsap's jumper put them ahead 79-68 at the 6:51 mark, and the lead never got under double digits.
Atlanta went 9 of 11 on 3s in the second quarter to erase a 12-point deficit and led 65-60 at halftime.
Mack made all five of his 3-point attempts and scored 17 in the quarter. Scott's 3-pointer from two steps behind the arc at the buzzer capped the sequence.
Kevin Love, who missed the morning shootaround because of flu-like symptoms, scored 13 points and had 10 rebounds for Cleveland.
The game began much like the matchup in November, when Cleveland hit all nine of its 3-pointers in the first quarter and began the game 11 for 11 from behind the arc.
The Cavaliers again put on an impressive offensive display in the first quarter Wednesday when they hit 12 of 19 shots with 10 assists. As they did in Monday's win over Charlotte, Love and James hooked up on two highlight-reel plays. Love hit James with two length-of-the-court passes that resulted in layups.
GRIZZLIES 117, SPURS 116, 3OT
SAN ANTONIO – Marc Gasol scored 26 points, including a banked-in 3-pointer as regulation expired, and Memphis outlasted San Antonio in triple overtime after blowing a 23-point lead.
Zach Randolph had 21 points and 21 rebounds in the Grizzlies' sixth straight victory. Vince Carter added a season-high 18 points for Memphis (21-4).
Danny Green scored 25 points, and Tim Duncan had 23 points and 16 rebounds for San Antonio. His jumper rattled in to force the third OT, but he finished just 5 for 15 on free throws.
Manu Ginobili added 21 points, but shot an airball on a 3-pointer in the final seconds for the Spurs. San Antonio made a season-high 17 3-pointers but was 13 for 27 on free throws, including 5 for 15 by Duncan.
Duncan hit a fallaway, high-arcing jumper that bounded on the rim three times before dropping in to tie the game at 111 at the close of the second overtime.
ROCKETS 115, NUGGETS 111, OT
DENVER – James Harden scored 41 points, including eight in overtime, and Houston beat Denver after Arron Afflalo tied the game on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of regulation.
Patrick Beverley sealed Houston's seventh win in eight games by hitting four straight free throws in the final 17.8 seconds. Harden had a big game at the line, too, hitting 18 of 21.
Dwight Howard scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds despite a strained right knee that had him questionable for the game.
Wilson Chandler had 23 points and Ty Lawson dished out 16 assists for the struggling Nuggets, who have dropped seven of eight.
MAVERICKS 117, PISTONS 106
AUBURN HILLS – Chandler Parsons scored a season-high 32 points and Monta Ellis added 25 as Dallas beat Detroit.
Parsons fell two points short of a career high as he helped the Mavericks win a second road game in two nights. Dirk Nowitzki contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds, including seven points to help stem a late Detroit rally.
Andre Drummond had 19 points and 24 rebounds, but couldn't help the Pistons end an 11-game losing streak at home. Detroit's last win at the Palace came on Nov. 7 against Milwaukee.
JAZZ 105, HEAT 87
MIAMI – Gordon Hayward scored 29 points, Enes Kanter added 18 and Utah overcame 42 points from Dwyane Wade to beat Miami.
Alec Burks scored 12, Derrick Favours added 11 and Dante Exum had 10 for Utah, which won for just the second time in its last 14 games. Those two wins have come against last year's NBA finalists, San Antonio and now the Heat – who are simply reeling at home.
Wade shot 12 of 19 for Miami, which has lost seven of its last eight home games and has dropped four straight on its floor for the first time since 2011. The Heat trailed by 17 in the first quarter and never recovered.
SUNS 111, HORNETS 106
CHARLOTTE – Reserve guard Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points, Goran Dragic had 20 and Phoenix snapped a six-game losing streak with a victory over struggling Charlotte.
Thomas was 7 of 13 from the field and had two key free throws in the final minute as the Suns erased an early 17-point deficit.
Dragic, who missed the last two games with a back injury, played 38 minutes and shot 8 of 17. Gerald Green had 16 points off the bench and Eric Bledsoe chipped in with 15 for the Suns.
Al Jefferson had 28 points and 10 rebounds for Charlotte. Kemba Walker scored 27 points before going cold in the final three minutes. The Hornets have lost four straight, and they fell to 1-11 against Western Conference teams.
CELTICS 109, MAGIC 92
BOSTON – Rajon Rondo had 13 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds to lead balanced scoring that carried Boston past Orlando.
Brandon Bass scored 18 points, and Jeff Green and Jared Sullinger each finished with 16. Kelly Olynyk added 15 points for the Celtics, who won their second in a row after a three-game losing streak.
Nikola Vucevic had 18 points with 13 rebounds, and Tobias Harris scored 17 for the Magic, who have lost four of five.
TRAIL BLAZERS 104, BUCKS 97
PORTLAND – LaMarcus Aldridge had 23 points and 15 rebounds, and Portland pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Milwaukee with both teams reeling from injuries to key players.
Damian Lillard added 29 points and seven assists for the Blazers, who lost starting centre Robin Lopez to a broken hand on Monday. Thomas Robinson, who started in Lopez's absence, sparked Portland with 15 points and 16 rebounds, both season highs.
Portland has won three straight and eight of 10.
Brandon Knight had 24 points for the Bucks, who were without Jabari Parker. The heralded rookie will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the third quarter of Milwaukee's victory Monday over Phoenix.
CLIPPERS 102, PACERS 100
LOS ANGELES – Blake Griffin had 31 points and 16 rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan added 23 rebounds and 15 points in Los Angeles' victory over Indiana.
Chris Paul had 20 points and nine assists, helping the two-time defending Pacific Division champions win for the 11th time in 13 games.
The Pacers, who snapped an eight-game losing streak with their rout of the Lakers at home Monday night, dropped their seventh straight road game. David West and reserve C.J. Miles each had 17 points as seven players scored in double figures.
Miles missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the final horn.