Hawks roll over Cavs; Heat next

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

No Joe Johnson, no problem for the Atlanta Hawks.

Playing without their star guard and leading scorer, the Hawks never trailed and rolled to an 99-83 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.

Marvin Williams, taking advantage of increased playing time, more than made up for Johnson’s absence with a season-high 31 points. Al Horford added 20.

“I got going early and my teammates kept coming to me,” Williams said. “I had a big night and our team had a big night.”

Cleveland, which beat Detroit on Friday, hasn’t won back-to-back games since winning three straight Nov. 5-9.

The Cavaliers host Miami on Tuesday, marking LeBron James’ second game in Cleveland since signing with the Heat in July. James was greeted with a hostile reception when he returned on Dec. 2, but the Heat routed the Cavaliers 118-90.

Johnson, who averages 18.5 points, sprained his right thumb Saturday, but the Hawks didn’t need him to beat the Cavaliers, who have the worst record in the NBA.

Williams shot 9 of 14 from the field, including three 3-pointers, and 8 of 9 from the foul line in 43 minutes.

The Hawks, who clinched a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by beating New Jersey on Saturday, lost eight of 11 before winning the last two.

For Cavaliers coach Byron Scott, the game was a repeat of the same bad movie he’s been watching most of the season.

“We got off to a bad start,” he said. “We didn’t come out with the energy and aggressiveness we needed to come out with, for whatever reason.”

Baron Davis, who is expected to move into Cleveland’s starting lineup soon, came off the bench and scored 19 points. Ramon Sessions added 13 points for the Cavaliers, who have lost nine of 11.