Game ID: 22500069
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Atlanta Hawks
Friday, November 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM ET
State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
ATL 33 27 37 33 130CLE 23 39 28 33 123
ATL vs CLE ScoutingATL vs CLE Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
ATL availability going into 11/20 · 1 day's restOUT Young missed 10 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Porziņģis missed 3 since 11/13, returns tonight: 29 min (120% of 24)
BACK Alexander-Walker back 11/12 after 2, 31 min since (92% of 34)
BACK Kennard back 11/10 after 2, 18 min since (88% of 20)
NEW Krejčí 22 to 28 min over the last 5
ATL availability going into 11/22 · 1 day's restOUT Young missed 11 since 10/31, out tonight
BACK Alexander-Walker back 11/12 after 2, 31 min since (94% of 34)
BACK Porziņģis back 11/20 after 3, 29 min since (120% of 24)
NEW Krejčí 22 to 28 min over the last 5
ATL availability going into 11/23 · back-to-backOUT Young missed 12 since 10/31, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 11/20 after 3, 31 min since (128% of 24)
NEW Krejčí 22 to 30 min over the last 5
ATL availability going into 11/25 · 1 day's restOUT Young missed 13 since 10/31, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 11/20 after 3, 31 min since (128% of 24)
NEW Krejčí 22 to 30 min over the last 5
ATL availability going into 11/28 · 2 days' restOUT Young missed 14 since 10/31, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 11/20 after 3, 28 min since (115% of 24)
NEW Krejčí 22 to 28 min over the last 5
ATL availability going into 11/30 · 1 day's restOUT Young missed 15 since 10/31, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 11/20 after 3, 28 min since (115% of 24)
ATL availability going into 12/01 · back-to-backOUT Young missed 16 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Porziņģis missed 2 since 11/28, out tonight
NEW Gueye 15 to 22 min over the last 5
ATL availability going into 12/03 · 1 day's restOUT Young missed 17 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Porziņģis missed 3 since 11/28, out tonight
NEW Gueye 15 to 21 min over the last 5
ATL availability going into 12/05 · 1 day's restOUT Young missed 18 since 10/31, out tonight
OUT Porziņģis missed 4 since 11/28, returns tonight: 20 min (84% of 24)
NEW Risacher 22 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Gueye 15 to 22 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 4 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Tyson missed 4 since 11/12, out tonight
BACK Tomlin back 11/12 after 2, 17 min since (120% of 14)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/12 after 2, 10 min since (84% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 11/12 after 2, 9 min since (79% of 11)
CLE availability going into 11/21 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 5 since 11/12, returns tonight: 27 min (87% of 30)
OUT Tyson missed 5 since 11/12, returns tonight: 27 min (112% of 24)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 11/17, returns tonight: 19 min (156% of 12)
BACK Tomlin back 11/12 after 2, 18 min since (123% of 14)
BACK Bryant back 11/12 after 2, 8 min since (68% of 11)
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 23 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 11/23 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 2 since 11/19, out tonight
BACK Garland back 11/21 after 5, 27 min since (87% of 30)
BACK Tyson back 11/21 after 5, 27 min since (112% of 24)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/21 after 2, 19 min since (156% of 12)
CLE availability going into 11/24 · back-to-backOUT Allen missed 2 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 3 since 11/19, out tonight
BACK Garland back 11/21 after 5, 28 min since (92% of 30)
BACK Tyson back 11/21 after 5, 25 min since (104% of 24)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/21 after 2, 16 min since (129% of 12)
CLE availability going into 11/28 · 3 days' restOUT Allen missed 3 since 11/21, returns tonight: 28 min (101% of 28)
OUT Merrill missed 4 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 11/23, out tonight
BACK Garland back 11/21 after 5, 28 min since (92% of 30)
BACK Tyson back 11/21 after 5, 28 min since (116% of 24)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/21 after 2, 17 min since (135% of 12)
NEW Ball 21 to 27 min over the last 4
NEW Tomlin 14 to 19 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 11/30 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 5 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 11/23, returns tonight: 11 min (65% of 16)
BACK Garland back 11/21 after 5, 30 min since (97% of 30)
BACK Allen back 11/28 after 3, 28 min since (101% of 28)
BACK Tyson back 11/21 after 5, 26 min since (109% of 24)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/21 after 2, 15 min since (121% of 12)
CLE availability going into 12/01 · back-to-backOUT Merrill missed 6 since 11/19, out tonight
BACK Garland back 11/21 after 5, 30 min since (99% of 30)
BACK Allen back 11/28 after 3, 28 min since (101% of 28)
BACK Tyson back 11/21 after 5, 28 min since (116% of 24)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/30 after 3, 11 min since (65% of 16)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/21 after 2, 15 min since (121% of 12)
NEW Tomlin 14 to 20 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 12/03 · 1 day's restOUT Allen missed 2 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 7 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Ball missed 2 since 11/30, returns tonight: 24 min (115% of 21)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/30 after 3, 17 min since (101% of 16)
NEW Tomlin 14 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Proctor 10 to 17 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 12/05 · 1 day's restOUT Allen missed 3 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 8 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 3 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Ball back 12/03 after 2, 24 min since (115% of 21)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/30 after 3, 14 min since (88% of 16)
NEW Tyson 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Tomlin 14 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Proctor 10 to 17 min over the last 3
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 16 free throws a game; Porziņģis at 23 and Johnson at 21 a game. Without Young (14 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and Hunter at 18 a game. Without Allen (3 straight), Merrill (4 straight), Porter Jr. (2 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 109 a night to Atlanta's 119 and the line, where Cleveland takes 23 free throws a game to Atlanta's 16. Call it Atlanta 116, Cleveland 115, Cleveland keeping it close.
11/20 @ SAS 126-135 — ATL notes
ATL lost 126-135. ATL shot 56% (49 of 87) to SAS's 53%, 20 of 37 from three, and got to the line 13 times to SAS's 30. ATL turned it over 16 times to SAS's 10, and SAS turned those into 10 steals. Alexander-Walker led with 38 (13 of 17, 8 of 10 from three); J. Johnson added 26, Porziņģis 16. Q3 was theirs, 32-21, the deficit cut from 14 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 114-94 against them. Okongwu's -19 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/22 @ NOP 115-98 — ATL notes
ATL won 115-98. ATL shot 47% (42 of 90) to NOP's 42%, 17 of 46 from three. ATL turned it over 7 times to NOP's 14. Porziņģis led with 30 (11 of 17, 2 of 6 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Krejčí added 21, Johnson 18. The hinge was Q2, 35-21: ATL came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 10, and the lead reached 24. Johnson was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
11/23 vs CHA 113-110 — ATL notes
ATL won 113-110. ATL shot 49% (45 of 91) to CHA's 45%, 11 of 31 from three. ATL turned it over 7 times to CHA's 15. Johnson led with 28 (11 of 22, 2 of 4 from three); Alexander-Walker added 23, Daniels 22. The hinge was Q3, 39-33: ATL came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 4. ATL trailed 53-55 at the half and won the second half 60-55.
11/25 @ WAS 113-132 — ATL notes
ATL lost 113-132. ATL took 11 more shots (95 to 84), fed by 14 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to WAS's 57%, 15 of 43 from three, and got to the line 16 times to WAS's 26. ATL turned it over 18 times to WAS's 12, and WAS turned those into 13 steals. Porziņģis led with 22 (7 of 13, 2 of 5 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Okongwu added 20, Risacher 17. Q4 was theirs, 35-21, the deficit cut from 33 to 19, but the other 3 periods went 111-78 against them. Daniels's -23 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/28 vs CLE 130-123 — ATL notes
ATL won 130-123. ATL shot 53% (48 of 91) to CLE's 46%, 16 of 43 from three, and went to the line 26 times to CLE's 20 — 18 points from the stripe to their 18. ATL turned it over 12 times to CLE's 17. The glass went 38-48 against them. Alexander-Walker led with 30 (10 of 22, 5 of 13 from three); Johnson added 29, Okongwu 18. The hinge was Q1, 33-23: from level to 10 ahead. ATL trailed 60-62 at the half and won the second half 70-61. Johnson was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
11/30 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Maxey at 29 and Grimes at 15 a game. Without Edgecombe (3 straight), Embiid (9 straight), Oubre Jr. (6 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 120, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Porziņģis at 23 and Alexander-Walker at 22 a game. Without Young (15 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Philadelphia giving it away 16 times a game to Atlanta's 12 and the arc, Atlanta at 40 percent from three to Philadelphia's 35. Call it Philadelphia 119, Atlanta 118, Atlanta keeping it close.
12/01 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 119, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 30 free throws a game; Cunningham at 33 and Harris at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Johnson at 25 and Alexander-Walker at 21 a game. Without Young (16 straight), Porziņģis (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Detroit wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Detroit has been plus-7 a night and Atlanta minus-0 and the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 17 times a game to Atlanta's 13. Call it Detroit 122, Atlanta 116.
12/03 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 120, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Johnson at 27 and Alexander-Walker at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Young (17 straight), Porziņģis (3 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 0-5 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 124, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 27 free throws a game; Leonard at 29 and Harden at 22 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Jones Jr. (8 straight), Lopez (4 straight), Bogdanović (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Clippers take 27 free throws a game to Atlanta's 22. Call it Atlanta 121, the Clippers 114.
12/05 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 121, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Johnson at 26 and Alexander-Walker at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Young (18 straight), Porziņģis (4 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 129 a night and allowing 123, shooting 53 percent and 48 from three, 22 free throws a game; Murray at 30 and Jokić at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Braun (10 straight), Gordon (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 48 percent from three to Atlanta's 35 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and Atlanta minus-6. Call it Denver 121, Atlanta 118, Atlanta keeping it close.
11/19 vs HOU 104-114 — CLE notes
CLE lost 104-114. CLE shot 44% (36 of 81) to HOU's 46%, 12 of 39 from three. The glass went 39-51 against them. Hunter led with 25 (6 of 11, 5 of 8 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Mitchell added 21, Mobley 18. Q3 was theirs, 30-17, the deficit cut from 17 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 97-74 against them. Mitchell's -18 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/21 vs IND 120-109 — CLE notes
CLE won 120-109. CLE shot 48% (43 of 89) to IND's 42%, 13 of 35 from three. Mitchell led with 32 (11 of 22, 4 of 11 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Mobley added 22, Hunter 20. The hinge was Q3, 38-26: a lead of 7 became 19, and the lead reached 22. Hunter was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
11/23 vs LAC 120-105 — CLE notes
CLE won 120-105. CLE shot 52% (45 of 87) to LAC's 46%, 17 of 45 from three, and got to the line 20 times to LAC's 26. Mitchell led with 37 (14 of 22, 5 of 9 from three); Mobley added 18, Hunter 17. The hinge was Q3, 33-27: a lead of 7 became 13, and the lead reached 20. Mobley was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
11/24 @ TOR 99-110 — CLE notes
CLE lost 99-110. CLE shot 41% (36 of 87) to TOR's 49%, 14 of 48 from three. The glass went 37-51 against them. Mitchell led with 17 (6 of 20, 3 of 12 from three); Tyson added 15, Tomlin 14. Q1 was theirs, 32-29, but the other 3 periods went 81-67 against them. Mitchell's -22 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/28 @ ATL 123-130 — CLE notes
CLE lost 123-130. CLE shot 46% (44 of 95) to ATL's 53%, 17 of 39 from three, and got to the line 20 times to ATL's 26. CLE turned it over 17 times to ATL's 12, and ATL turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 48-38 for them. Mitchell led with 42 (15 of 28, 7 of 15 from three); Mobley added 20, Hunter 16. Q2 was theirs, 39-27, turning a 10-point deficit into a 2-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 103-84 against them. Garland's -18 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/30 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Hunter at 20 a game. Without Merrill (5 straight), Porter Jr. (3 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Brown at 33 and White at 16 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 41 percent from three to Cleveland's 35. Call it Cleveland 116, Boston 114, Boston keeping it close.
12/01 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Siakam at 22 and Mathurin at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Nesmith (8 straight), Furphy (13 straight), Que. Jackson (13 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and Mobley at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Merrill (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the defense, Indiana allowing 105 a night to Cleveland's 114 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-1 a night and Indiana minus-4. Call it Indiana 114, Cleveland 113, Cleveland keeping it close.
12/03 vs POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Mobley at 18 a game. Without Allen (2 straight), Merrill (7 straight), Ball (2 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 117, shooting 43 percent and 33 from three, 31 free throws a game; Avdija at 25 and Grant at 21 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Holiday (9 straight), Henderson (21 straight), Thybulle (16 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the line, where Portland takes 31 free throws a game to Cleveland's 19 and the arc, Cleveland at 37 percent from three to Portland's 33. Call it Cleveland 121, Portland 113.
12/05 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Mobley at 19 a game. Without Allen (3 straight), Merrill (8 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 119, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Fox at 27 and Vassell at 21 a game. Without Castle (8 straight), Wembanyama (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the line, where San Antonio takes 26 free throws a game to Cleveland's 20. Call it Cleveland 119, San Antonio 118, San Antonio keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLEDG D. Garland
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
JA J. Allen
JT J. Tyson
LB L. Ball
LN L. Nance Jr.
NT N. Tomlin
ATLDD D. Daniels
JJ J. Johnson
KW K. Wallace
KR Krejci
LK L. Kennard
MG M. Gueye
NA N. Alexander-Walker
OO O. Okongwu
VK V. Krejčí
ZR Z. Risacher
CLE/ATL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jalen Johnson's triple-double leads Hawks to 130-123 victory over Cavaliers in NBA Cup game
ATLANTA -- — Jalen Johnson had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 130-123 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in an NBA Cup game on Friday night.
Atlanta eliminated Cleveland from the in-season tournament, meaning neither team advances to the quarterfinal round.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 28 points, including a clutch late 3-pointer, helping Atlanta go on an 7-0 run in less than 30 seconds to create separation.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 42 points. It was Mitchell's sixth game out of the last eight scoring at least 30 points and the second-highest point total of the season.
Atlanta's Zaccharie Riscaher hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:09 remaining to break a 123-all tie, and Alexander-Walker hit a pull-up 3-pointer with 47.7 seconds left after Mitchell misfired on a potential game-tying shot.
Atlanta held Cleveland scoreless over the final 2:03. The Cavaliers had led by four points with 2:25 to play.
Both teams went on extended runs in the first half. The Hawks used a 21-4 spurt in the first quarter and led by as many as 13. The Cavaliers used a 14-0 run in the second quarter to erase their deficit.
The teams have split their first two regular-season games, with each side winning at home. The teams will meet two more times in April, during the final week of the regular season.
Up next Cavaliers: Will host the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
Hawks: Will face the 76ers in Philadelphia on Sunday.