CLEVELAND (AP) Dennis Schroeder scored 28 points and the injury-riddled Atlanta Hawks ended an eight-game losing streak, beating the skidding Cleveland Cavaliers 117-115 on Sunday.
The Hawks were missing five players, but still posted their first victory since topping Dallas in the season opener.
Coming off his 57-point performance Friday night at Washington, LeBron James had 26 points and 13 assists for Cleveland. The Cavaliers have lost five of seven.
The Cavaliers cut a 16-point deficit in the second half to two on James’ basket with 21.3 seconds left. Atlanta’s Isaiah Taylor missed two free throws with 12.1 seconds to go, but Channing Frye missed a 3-pointer and Dwyane Wade’s tip-in fell off the rim.
The Cavaliers have also lost to Orlando, New York, Indiana and Brooklyn during their rocky stretch, which has included three straight defeats at home. Wade kept Cleveland in the game with 19 points in the first half and finished with a season-high 25.
Schroeder scored 11 straight points in the third quarter to kept Atlanta ahead. Cleveland steadily cut into the lead behind Kyle Korver’s 19 points in the fourth.
Kevin Love of the Cavaliers left with an illness in the third quarter and didn’t return. He had four points and four rebounds in 19 minutes.
Atlanta put seven players in double figures, including the five starters. Luke Babbitt, making his first start of the season in place of Mike Muscala (sprained ankle), and Taurean Prince each scored 17 points.
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue used two timeouts in the first seven minutes as the Hawks raced ahead 27-11.
Cleveland’s opponents came into the game shooting an NBA-best percentage (.416) going into the game. Atlanta hit 11 of 25 3-pointers.
ON THE WAY BACK
Cleveland point guard Isaiah Thomas, acquired as part of the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston, has been doing on-court workouts. The team announced before the season that it hoped he would return by January.
”The staff’s doing a great job trying to get him ready,” Lue said. ”We don’t want to rush him back if he’s not 100 percent. They’ve been doing a good job taking it slow and make sure they rehablitate him the right way.”
Thomas averaged a career-high 28.9 points, third in the league, last season. Rose has been starting at point guard while James has also run the offense.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: G Iman Shumpert (sore right knee) will practice Monday for the first time since being injured Nov. 29. He could play Tuesday against Milwaukee…F Tristan Thompson (strained left calf) is expected to miss miss three to four weeks.
Hawks: Rookie F Tyler Cavanaugh was in uniform after signing a two-way contract Saturday. … G Malcolm Delaney (sprained right ankle), F Ersan Ilyasova (bruised left knee), C Miles Plumlee (strained right quadriceps) and F DeAndre’ Bembry (fractured right wrist) also were unavailable.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Host Boston on Monday. Atlanta is the only Eastern Conference team without a home victory with an 0-3 record
Cavaliers: Host Milwaukee on Tuesday. Cleveland earned a 116-97 road win over the Bucks on Oct. 20.
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