Evan Mobley, Ricky Rubio, Jarrett Allen lead Cavs to first victory

CLEVELAND — Rookie Evan Mobley had 17 points and 11 rebounds to help the Cavaliers rally for their first win of the season with a 101-95 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Ricky Rubio had 23 points and eight assists, and Jarrett Allen added 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who trailed by 13 points in the second quarter. The Cavaliers had lost their first two games, both by 11.

Mobley, the No. 3 overall selection from USC, scored seven points during a 21-0 run that put the Cavs ahead 67-58 in the third. The Hawks went scoreless for 4:28 after Trae Young made a layup with 46 seconds left in the second quarter.

Young paced the Hawks with 24 points and seven assists. Cam Reddish scored 19 points off the bench and Clint Capela had 10 points and 14 rebounds. 

The Hawks pulled within 99-95 in the final minute, but missed two shots before Lauri Markkanen sealed the win by making two free throws with 15 seconds remaining.

Mobley also blocked four shots in 35 minutes. The 7-foot power forward has started all three games and is averaging 15.7 points and 8.3 rebounds.

Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love each scored 12 points for the Cavs, who committed a season-low 10 turnovers. The Cavaliers’ 21-point run was their longest since Dec. 11, 2019 against the Houston Rockets, when they scored 24 in a row.

A 3-pointer by Bogdan Bogdanovic gave the Hawks their largest lead at 43-30, but Rubio answered with six points in the final 3:03 of the second quarter to cut the Hawks' lead to 55-53 at halftime.

Young scored nine points in the first quarter and Reddish had five off the bench and the Hawks held a 27-24 lead after the first.

Tip-ins

Hawks: Guard Lou Williams (left hip soreness) was active and available, but the 17th-year pro did not play. … Forward Danilo Gallinari (left shoulder soreness) and forward Onyeka Okongwu (right shoulder recovery) remain out and have not made their season debuts.

Cavaliers: Starting guard Darius Garland (left ankle sprain) missed his second consecutive game after being hurt in the opener at Memphis. … Guard Dylan Windler (right hip strain) has been inactive for all three games. He will travel with the team on its five-game road trip.

Up next

Hawks: Host Detroit on Monday. The Hawks are in the midst of playing four road games in a five-game stretch that ends on Oct. 30.

Cavaliers: Visit the Denver Nuggets on Monday. The Cavs will not play at home until Nov. 3 against the Portland Trail Blazers.