Hawks rip Cavs, catch playoff slot

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Atlanta Hawks secured an National Basketball Association (NBA) playoff berth with a 124-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday as the Boston Celtics locked up the Eastern Conference second seed with a lopsided win of their own.

CJ McCollum scored a game-high 29 points for the Hawks, who came into the contest at sixth in the East and still in danger of falling into the play-in tournament that will see the seventh- through 10th-placed teams battle for the last two playoff berths in each conference.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson scored 18 points apiece and Dyson Daniels added a triple-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for the Hawks, who led 61-48 at halftime and surged away with a 16-0 scoring run late in the third quarter.

“The goal was getting in the playoffs,” McCollum said. “Now for us it’s about getting healthy, making sure everybody is ready to go and we can ramp up.”