Hawks Clinch the Playoffs and Nobody in the East Saw That Coming After Two Straight Misses

Atlanta just locked up a playoff spot with a 124-102 beatdown of Cleveland on Friday night, and this matters way more than the scoreline suggests. The Hawks missed the postseason the last two years straight. Now they're in, finishing either fifth or sixth in the Eastern Conference, and they did it by absolutely dismantling a 51-30 Cavaliers team that came in as the fourth seed.

McCollum Went Scorched Earth in the First Half

CJ McCollum dropped 29 points and went nuclear early, pouring in 25 of them before halftime. He was 6-for-8 from three. That's not a hot night, that's a statement. Dyson Daniels backed him up with a straight up triple-double: 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. This was Daniels' second career triple-double. Meanwhile, Jalen Johnson added 18 and nine boards, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker chipped in 18 as well.

The Hawks (46-35) weren't messing around. By the third quarter, they'd built a 92-59 lead, and Alexander-Walker and Johnson each had 11 points in that frame alone. It was the kind of third quarter that ends games before the fourth even starts.

Cavaliers Couldn't Hang

Cleveland came in sharp on paper, but James Harden's 20 points and five assists weren't enough. Tyrese Proctor scored 15 in the fourth, but by then it didn't matter. The Cavs still hold the four seed and have home-court advantage in the first round against either Atlanta or Toronto, but this loss stung.

Atlanta is the Southeast Division champion and they're back in the dance after two years away. For a team that's been on the outside looking in, that's everything.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.