Atlanta Hawks: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season

5. Hawks stave off Cavaliers comeback to win in Cleveland

The tone of the season was set pretty early. Following a season-opening 117-111 win over the Dallas Mavericks, the Hawks proceeded to lose their next eight games. When the Hawks faced the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 5, it was fair to assume that it would be loss No. 9.

Atlanta had other ideas. After going down 5-2, it shot out on a 23-6 run in the middle of the first quarter. The Cavaliers’ notoriously troubled defense had no answer for the Hawks early on. ATL went 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) from the field in the opening frame. That percentage eventually evened out to 47.7 percent for the game, but the initial shock put Cleveland on notice.

The Hawks led by as many as 16 points late in the third quarter. They held a double-digit lead until 3:14 in the fourth. That’s when LeBron James charged back with eight points of his own. Eventually, the game was 117-115 with 12 seconds left in regulation.

However, the Hawks made the stop when they needed to, thwarting a Channing Frye 3-point attempt as time expired. The 117-115 win snapped what would be Atlanta’s longest losing streak of the season. It also gave the Hawks their first win against a quality opponent.