Williams leads Hawks past Cavaliers

March 27, 2011 at 9:36p.m.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Marvin Williams scored a season-high 31 points and Al Horford added 20, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 99-83 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.

Atlanta played without leading scorer Joe Johnson, but never trailed. Johnson, who averages 18.5 points, sprained his right thumb Saturday, but the Hawks didn’t need him to defeat the Cavaliers, who have the worst record in the NBA.

Williams took advantage of his increased playing time by shooting 9 of 14 from the field, including three 3-pointers, and 8 of 9 from the foul line in 43 minutes. Josh Smith scored 13 points and had a season-high 18 rebounds.