May 20 (Reuters) - The Atlanta Hawks suffered a double blow on Wednesday when they were beaten 97-89 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game One of the Eastern Conference finals and lost DeMarre Carroll to what looked like a serious knee injury.
J.R. Smith caught fire off the bench with 28 points, including eight three-pointers, and LeBron James tallied 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Cavaliers grabbed the lead in the best-of-seven series.
Adding injury to the insult of dropping Game One on their home floor, the Hawks lost leading playoff scorer Carroll in the fourth quarter when he planted his foot and fell on a non-contact play.