Donovan Mitchell returns, Cavs get right vs Hawks

Donovan Mitchell came back and the Cavaliers looked something like the Cavaliers again.

For the most part, anyway. 

The Cavs beat the Hawks 117-109 on Sunday at Rocket Arena, snapping a two-game slide and moving to 4-3.

Mitchell had missed one game with hamstring tightness. He was listed as questionable. Instead, he played and he set the tone immediately.

Cleveland opened with a 16-2 burst. Eleven of those points belonged to Mitchell. The Cavs forced nine turnovers in the first quarter and looked like the group that knows how to punch first.

They needed it.

Cleveland is still without Darius Garland, Max Strus, Sam Merrill and Jarrett Allen. That led to a ragged second quarter where the offense stalled and Atlanta grabbed a brief lead.

The Hawks were without Trae Young. But they stayed within range. They closed the third on a 12-2 run and pulled within a basket heading into the fourth.

That is when Mitchell closed.

The Cavs scored 39 in the final frame. Mitchell finished with 37 points on 12 of 21 shooting — and 8 of 15 from deep — in 36 high-leverage minutes.

Jaylon Tyson had 18. De’Andre Hunter scored 17 and grabbed seven rebounds.

The Hawks also showed some balance. Jalen Johnson went 23-13-5. Dyson Daniels scored 18.

But the Cavs finally had their closer back. And there is data behind it, as Mitchell owns the highest win percentage of any Cavalier with 200-plus games.

Coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters pregame that his group has been dealing with funky lineups, injuries and strange nights. He keeps reminding them it is a marathon.

On Sunday, they got a result to match the message.