Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Atlanta Hawks lose Game 1, Carroll to knee injury


ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks suffered a double blow on Wednesday when they were beaten 97-89 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals and lost DeMarre Carroll to what looked like a serious knee injury.

J.R. Smith caught fire off the bench with 28 points, including eight three-pointers, and LeBron James tallied 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Cavaliers grabbed the lead in the best-of-seven series.

Adding injury to the insult of dropping Game 1 on their home floor, the Hawks lost leading playoff scorer Carroll in the fourth quarter when he planted his foot and fell on a non-contact play.

Carroll was carried off and will undergo an MRI to reveal the extent of the damage on Thursday.

Jeff Teague had a team-high 27 points for the Hawks, while Al Horford added 16.

Atlanta battled to a 51-51 tie at halftime but lost control in the third quarter where the Cavs took a seven-point edge at the end of the period.

Smith drained a trio of early three-pointers in the fourth to provide an 85-67 advantage that held up down the stretch.

Game 2 is on Friday in Atlanta.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com