The Cleveland Cavaliers narrowly bowed to the Atlanta Hawks on their home floor and did not advance to the NBA playoffs.
16.4. 07:14 • Updated April 16th. 07:15
Lauri Markkasen the first season of the NBA basketball club in the Cleveland Cavaliers ended in disappointment when Cleveland suffered a loss to the Atlanta Hawks at home with a score of 101-107.
A stinging loss in the decisive playoff qualifier means Cleveland will be ninth in the East and out of the playoffs. Atlanta, who grabbed eighth place in the Eastern Block, will face the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.
Cleveland started the match convincingly and led 36-25 after the opening quarter. Lauri Markkanen immediately became the key player in the opening period, as he succeeded in three of his four three-point throws and scored 11 points.
In the end, Markkanen was the best scorer on his team with a catch of 26 points and eight rebounds.
The second half of the match started with Cleveland leading by 61-51. Atlantan Trae Young immersed as many as 32 points in the second half of the match and helped his team close the gap in the third quarter. Young scored a total of 38 points in the match.
The final quarter showed Atlanta already going through its spending, but Cleveland persevered: one and a half minutes before the end, Atlanta led the score to 100-99. The final successes at crucial moments winged the guests to victory with six points.
Cleveland’s final spring was challenging and it lost seven of its last nine matches. The team had to survive without their star center Jarrett Allenia, who was on the side for a long time because of a broken finger. However, Allen’s return and an 11-point balance in the final game of the season didn’t help save through Cleveland.
Markkanen had never gotten so close to the playoffs in his career. Markkanen, 25, played in the Chicago Bulls for the first four seasons of his NBA journey, and the team never made the playoffs. This spring’s playoff qualifiers were the first in Finland’s career. Markkanen moved to Cleveland last summer.