The Cleveland Cavaliers have claimed victory in game one of the Eastern Conference finals with a 97-89 win over the Atlanta Hawks at the Philips Arena.
The home side made a strong start to the game, quickly opening up a nine-point lead in the first quarter, but Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson soon closed the gap for Cleveland.
Al Horford and Jeff Teague kept the points coming for Atlanta, who are the top seeds in the East, throughout the second quarter, but Thompson was able to put the Cavaliers ahead just before half time.
There continued to be little between the two sides throughout the third, until JR Smith made back-to-back three pointers with just a couple of minutes remaining, leading the visitors to a seven-point lead heading into the final spell.
Smith, who finished the game with 28 points and eight rebounds, kept finding the basket at the start of the fourth as the Cavaliers extended their lead to 16.
Teague and Paul Millsap tried to get the home side back into the game late on, cutting the gap to just four points inside the final minute, but LeBron James and Iman Shumpert were both able to add free throws to seal the win for Cleveland.
The teams play again in Atlanta on Friday.
Sian Cowper
