Cavs rout Hawks for 4th straight win, set franchise record for made 3s

Cleveland, OH - LeBron James scored 18 of his 32 points in the first half to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers' offensive onslaught in a 127-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

James, who also dished out seven assists with six rebounds, went 13-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, helping the Cavs to a fourth straight win. Cleveland also set a franchise record with 19 3-pointers made.

"We were just in Boston last night and struggled mightily," Cavs coach David Blatt said of Friday's 122-121 win over the Celtics. "I thought our good offense, and at times great offense, was a direct result of the defensive side of the ball. We really came out energized. Our crowd was great again."

Kyrie Irving deposited 20 points with five assists, Tristan Thompson netted 15 points and Kevin Love posted 13 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The Cavs distributed 39 assists in snapping a four-game skid to Atlanta, with sixth man Dion Waiters' eight helpers leading the way.

Paul Millsap had 16 points with seven rebounds, while Mike Muscala supplied 13 points off the bench and Al Horford and John Jenkins each notched 12 for the Hawks, who had their four-game winning streak halted.

James got off to a hot start, making his first four shots from the floor -- three of which coming from beyond the arc -- to help the Cavs grab a 14-8 lead early in the first.

The Cavs continued to shoot lights out, as rookie Joe Harris opened and closed a 17-4 run with 3-pointers to end the quarter, with the last trey hitting nothing but net at the buzzer for a 41-25 lead.

Cleveland went 9-for-9 from 3-point range over the first 12 minutes, then Irving added to that flawless mark by making the first two attempts from deep in the second before the first miss. No team in NBA history had ever made nine or more 3-pointers in a quarter without a miss.

"When you shoot the ball that well any team will have success," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said of the Cavs.

That initial miss didn't slow down the Cavs, who continued to make it look easy on the offensive end with a 21-2 quarter-opening run for a commanding 62-27 advantage with just under seven minutes left until half.

All told, Cleveland finished the game 49-of-90 shooting and led by as many as 43 in the second half, cruising to the victory.