{"id":707177,"date":"2026-04-10T05:57:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T05:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/707177\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T05:57:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T05:57:23","slug":"nba-announces-mistake-in-final-30-seconds-of-cavaliers-hawks-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/707177\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Announces Mistake in Final 30 Seconds of Cavaliers-Hawks Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> needed every win they could get to clinch the No. 3 spot. The Atlanta Hawks<\/a> also needed victories to solidify their hold on the No. 6 seed. Both teams played like they were on a mission to save their seasons during their encounter on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Donovan Mitchell<\/a> returned from a one-game absence with a bang, leading all scorers with 31 points. He also added seven rebounds and four assists. Evan Mobley was sensational, putting up 22 points, grabbing 19 rebounds, and blocking three shots.<\/p>\n

From the Hawks\u2019 camp, the offense was well distributed, led by Nickeil Alexander-Walker with 25 points, while Onyeka Okongwu added 18. Jonathan Kuminga<\/a> chipped in 24 points off the bench.<\/p>\n

The two teams split the quarters. The Cavs had a hot start, taking the first, 33\u201329. However, they struggled to control the game in the second quarter and were outscored by 11 points by their visitors.<\/p>\n

The Cavs torched the Hawks after the break, scoring 44 points to Atlanta\u2019s 20. The game was far from over, though, as the Hawks battled back from an 18-point deficit.<\/p>\n

By the five-minute mark, coach Quinn Snyder\u2019s squad had cut the lead to one possession, 110\u2013112. From there, the game turned into a defensive masterclass.<\/p>\n

The Cavaliers scored their next five points from the free-throw line, while Alexander-Walker converted a layup for the Hawks. Atlanta closed the gap again at the 2:15 mark, 116\u2013118, but Mitchell went to the line four times and made all of them to extend the lead to 122\u2013116.<\/p>\n

\"Atlanta<\/p>\n

Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga talks to the official during gameBob DeChiara-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Hawks still had a chance\u2014and might have had more if the referees had made the correct call.<\/p>\n

According to the Last Two Minute Report, Kuminga should have been awarded free throws <\/a>on a drive to the basket with 25 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cAllen (CLE) initiates contact with Kuminga\u2019s (ATL) arm that affects his shot attempt,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n

He missed the layup, and the Cavs secured possession and dribbled out the clock. The Hawks lost, 116\u2013122.<\/p>\n

The loss puts Atlanta in a precarious position. They remain in the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference with two games to go, just one game ahead of the No. 7 Orlando Magic<\/a>. They could slide into the play-in if they lose their rematch against Cleveland on Friday and their game against the Miami Heat<\/a> on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, still have a chance at the No. 3 seed, but their fate is no longer in their hands after the New York Knicks edged the Boston Celtics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related: Cavaliers Announce Donovan Mitchell Injury Update for Hawks Game<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports<\/a> on Apr 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA<\/a> section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Cleveland Cavaliers needed every win they could get to clinch the No. 3 spot. The Atlanta Hawks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":707178,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3772],"tags":[208,7,75,306,305,193,3846,864,576,867,189,6,191,379,493,76],"class_list":{"0":"post-707177","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cleveland-cavaliers","8":"tag-atlanta-hawks","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-boston-celtics","11":"tag-cavaliers","12":"tag-cleveland","13":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","14":"tag-clevelandcavaliers","15":"tag-donovan-mitchell","16":"tag-evan-mobley","17":"tag-jonathan-kuminga","18":"tag-miami-heat","19":"tag-nba","20":"tag-new-york-knicks","21":"tag-nickeil-alexander-walker","22":"tag-onyeka-okongwu","23":"tag-orlando-magic"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116378878836092682","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=707177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707177\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/707178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=707177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=707177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=707177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}