CLEVELAND -- For the first time this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the win column.
Two days after firing head coach Tyronn Lue, the Cavs picked up a 136-114 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Quicken Loans Arena. With Larry Drew serving as the team's acting head coach, Cleveland put together its most complete performance of the season, with Rodney Hood leading the team with 26 points, Cedi Osman adding 20 and point guard George Hill scoring 17.
What follows is a running recap of the Cavs' first victory of the 2018-19 season.
Fourth quarter
2:42: Cavs 128, Hawks 103: And it looks like the Cavs are well on their way to their first win of the season thanks to a strong fourth quarter effort.
6:59: Cavs 112, Hawks 97: Another strong start to the quarter for the Cavs, who now have a season-high 11 3-pointers made on the night.
Third quarter
End of quarter: Cavs 99, Hawks 87: Cavs bench manages to keep the team's lead at double-digits as they enter the fourth quarter up 12 looking for their first win of the season.
2:29: Cavs 95, Hawks 83: This time it's the Cavs who are forced to call a timeout as they try to hold off a bubbling Atlanta run.
4:10: Cavs 90, Hawks 72: Cavs piling on now with Hood up to 21 points.
5:11: Cavs 83, Hawks 72: Cavs managing to keep the Hawks at an arm's length even as Trae Young begins to heat up. Rodney Hood with another three, pushing his total to 18 on the night.
8:30: Cavs 72, Hawks 60: Cavs add four more to their total -- with a pair of dunks from Sam Dekker and George Hill -- forcing another Atlanta timeout 30 seconds after their most recent one.
9:03: Cavs 68, Hawks 60: Strong start to the second half for the Cavs, as they reel off a 10-3 run in the first three minutes. George Hill up to 15 points, Rodney Hood with 13.
Second quarter
End of quarter: Cavs 58, Hawks 57: Hawks had taken a slight lead, but the Cavs were able to pull back ahead thanks to a Tristan Thompson putback and Collin Sexton breakaway dunk.
2:55: Cavs 52, Hawks 52: Two pretty evenly matched teams to this point. Sam Dekker getting a lot of run for the Cavs and has 7 points and 3 rebounds to show for it thus far.
8:32: Cavs 41, Hawks 41: Atlanta ties up the Cavs, thanks in large part to 41-year-old Vince Carter catching fire from 3. Fun fact: Collin Sexton was born on Jan. 4, 1999. At that point, Carter was entering his rookie season with the Toronto Raptors.
First quarter
End of quarter: Cavs 35, Hawks 31: Hawks' second unit manages to trim the Cavs' lead to four. Collin Sexton with a few nice moments, including one in which he forced Jeremy Lin into a travel.
2:40: Cavs 29, Hawks 21: Hawks get back in it, but Cavs' offense staying strong with Hood now up to nine points. Kyle Korver subbed in off the bench, which is a potential indication Larry Drew isn't ready for a youth movement just yet.
7:33: Cavs 17, Hawks 7: Hot start for the Cavs offense, with George Hill scoring a quick 8 points and Rodney Hood adding 7. Collin Sexton was the first sub off the bench, just past the 9-minute mark.
Pregame
Cavs provide update on Kevin Love's injured toe. Surgery not ruled out.
