The Atlanta Hawks lost 122-116 to Cleveland despite Jonathan Kuminga's 24-point effort off the bench, tightening the East's fifth-seed race with two games left.
Donovan Mitchell scored 31 on Wednesday night as the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away from the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter. The Hawks fell 122-116 at Rocket Arena, resulting in a rare back-to-back loss as the Eastern Conference standings tighten.
Jonathan Kuminga came off the bench to score 24 points on 11-of-20 shooting for Atlanta, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with 25 points and Onyeka Okongwu added 18. Cleveland outscored Atlanta 44-20 in the third period, a deficit the Hawks couldn't erase despite pushing back in the fourth.
Evan Mobley finished with 22 points and 19 rebounds, and James Harden added 21 points and four assists for Cleveland. The Hawks clawed back from an 18-point deficit to get within one possession in the fourth quarter but couldn't close it.
Snyder didn't mince words about the third-quarter hole his team dug.
"We got back in the game playing defense and running," Snyder said. "When we did get in the half court, the ball started moving even more, and that really gave us a lift. The defense fueled the offense and the offense fueled the defense — that's who we are. To get back into it and have a two-point game, a one-possession game — we obviously didn't close it, but we dug ourselves a little bit of a hole."
Atlanta's foul trouble was a significant factor. The Hawks were assessed 25 fouls, sending Cleveland to the line 35 times. The Cavaliers converted 28 of those attempts while Atlanta shot just 15 free throws.
"They shoot 35 free throws and we shoot 15 — that's a big discrepancy that we need to take care of," Snyder said. "Some of them were unnecessary where we just reached, and we've got to be more disciplined."
Kuminga, who finished a plus-9 in 30 minutes, has been one of Atlanta's most reliable second-unit contributors down the stretch. Snyder said the former Golden State forward is finding his footing.
"He's gradually getting more and more healthy and getting more and more comfortable with some of the things we're doing," Snyder said. "I thought he did an excellent job guarding the ball. And obviously, he got into the lane, and that's a big thing for our whole group to be able to get in there."
Mouhamed Gueye was a plus-25 in 16 minutes, providing a spark off the bench with five rebounds and two blocks. Snyder said Gueye's impact consistently goes beyond what the box score shows.
"We've seen Mo impact the game the way that he did tonight — whether it's a rundown block or something as simple as a little dribble handoff, keeping the ball alive on the offensive glass," Snyder said. "All those plays don't always show up on his stat line, but they show up on the scoreboard."
Jalen Johnson and CJ McCollum each added 12 points for Atlanta. Johnson grabbed 11 rebounds but turned the ball over twice in 34 minutes.
With the loss, the Hawks' lead in the fifth seed has shrunk to a half-game over Toronto, which beat Miami on Tuesday. The Raptors host the Heat again Thursday, and a win would move them back into fifth. Orlando has climbed to seventh and trails Atlanta by just one game. Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Miami are separated by half a game in the eighth through 10th spots.
Snyder said the film will speak for itself heading into the final two games.
"I think our execution can improve on both ends of the floor," he said. "Our team has a pretty good sense of what we need to do differently, or do better. We need to be better."
Atlanta (45-35) hosts Cleveland on Friday at State Farm Arena in the team's final home game of the regular season.