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Cavs score vs. Hornets | Cleveland just fourth team in NBA history to start a season 15-0
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- Cavs score vs. Hornets | Cleveland just fourth team in NBA history to start a season 15-0
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers became just one of four teams in NBA history to begin a season 15-0 with a 128-114 victory Sunday night over the Charlotte Hornets .
The Cavs had already established franchise records for the best start to a season and longest winning streak. They had set a single-season club record by scoring 130-plus points in six games. And Kenny Atkinson is the only head coach in league history to win his first 15 games with a new team (he had set the record at 14-0).
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The most recent Cleveland triumph kept the Cavs unbeaten ahead of a highly anticipated Emirates NBA Cup matchup Tuesday night at the Boston Celtics , who eliminated the Cavaliers in an Eastern Conference semifinal in May. The Cavs decided to rest star guard Donovan Mitchell against the Hornets. Ty Jerome started in his place and scored 24 points to go along with eight assists.
Tipoff for Cavs (15-0) versus Hornets (5-8) occurred at 6:11 p.m. Sunday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Here is how our updates unfolded throughout the game.
Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome celebrates after hitting a first-half 3-pointer against the Hornets, Nov. 17, 2024, in Cleveland.
Cavs win 128-114 after going ahead of Hornets 121-109 with 2:44 left in the fourth quarter
Jerome made a corner 3-pointer on an assist from point guard Darius Garland , giving the Cavs a 121-109 lead and compelling the Hornets to call timeout with 2:44 left in the fourth quarter.
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Attacking the basket in crunch time repeatedly paid off for Garland. Fouled on a drive into the paint, Garland made two free throws to give the Cavs a 118-109 lead with 3:46 left. On Cleveland's previous two possessions, Garland made driving layups.
Garland posted a double-double with teams highs in points (25) and assists (12). Forward Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen each had a double-double, too. Mobley tallied 23 points and 11 rebounds. Allen had 21 points and 15 rebounds.
Hornets guard LaMelo Ball scored a game-high 31 points, but the Cavs surrendered just 15 points in the fourth quarter after giving up 40 in the third quarter. What was the difference. Atkinson said the Cavs switched from man-to-man defense to a zone and used it for roughly 85% of the final quarter.
Cavs lead Hornets 110-101 with 9:17 left in the fourth quarter
The Cavs extended their lead to 110-101 when forward Georges Niang made a 3-pointer with 9:17 left in the fourth quarter on an assist from guard Craig Porter Jr. Niang finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field (3 of 7 on 3-pointers).
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The Hornets called timeout after Niang's third successful 3-pointer of the game.
Nov 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green (10) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Charlotte Hornets trail Cavs 102-99 at the end of the third quarter
After the Hornets cut the Cavs' lead to three points, Jerome produced a three-point play with 23.7 seconds left in the third quarter to give Cleveland a 102-96 advantage. Forward Miles Bridges answered by making a 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining and thereby trimmed the Cavaliers' lead to 102-99 at the end of the third quarter.
The Cavs led by 13 points at halftime but were outscored 40-30 in the third quarter.
Cavs forward Dean Wade injures his left ankle in the third quarter and has been ruled out for the rest of the game
With the Cavs already missing Isaac Okoro because he suffered a sprained ankle in the first half, fellow Cleveland forward Dean Wade fell and immediately grabbed his left ankle with 4:05 remaining in the third quarter.
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Wade checked out of the game and was examined right away by the Cavs medical staff. He left the bench and went into the tunnel toward the locker room.
The Cavs announced Wade suffered a sprained left ankle and won't return to the game. He had three points on 1-of-2 shooting from the field and four rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.
Cavs small forward Isaac Okoro suffers sprained ankle in first half vs. Hornets
Okoro didn't appear in the second half, and there is an explanation. The Cavs announced Okoro suffered a sprained left ankle and was questionable to return to the game. He didn't return.
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Okoro started the game and scored six points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field with an assist in 14 minutes before exiting the action.
After the game, Atkinson said he didn't know the severity of the injuries to Okoro and Wade.
Nov 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams (2) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Charlotte Hornets cut Cavaliers' lead to 82-76
The Cavs led the Hornets 82-76 during a Cleveland timeout with 8:54 left in the third quarter.
The Hornets outscored the Cavs 17-10 to begin the second half and trim Charlotte's deficit to six points.
Bridges scored six points in roughly the first three minutes of the third quarter to give the Hornets a boost.
Cleveland Cavs lead Charlotte Hornets 72-59 at halftime
Mobley led the Cavs with 16 points in the first half, and they gained a 72-59 halftime advantage over the Hornets. Jerome added 13 points and five assists. Garland had 11 points and nine assists. Allen had 10 points and six rebounds.
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Ball led the Hornets in the first half with 13 points.
The Cavs have scored 70-plus points in a half six times this season. They went 26-of-39 shooting (66.7%) from the field (8 of 17 3-pointers) in the first half. The Hornets went 22-of-57 shooting (38.6%) from the floor (11 of 29 on 3s).
Ty Jerome lifts Cavs to 45-34 lead vs. Hornets with 9:49 remaining in the second quarter
A 3-pointer Jerome made with 9:48 left in the second quarter boosted the Cavs' lead to 45-34. The Hornets responded by calling timeout with 9:49 left in the first half.
Jerome has 10 points thus far in his first Cavs start and the eighth start of his NBA career.
Cavs lead Hornets 38-28 at the end of the first quarter
The Cavs led the Hornets 38-28 at the end of the opening quarter. Ball committed a loose ball foul on Cavs guard Caris LeVert as LeVert pursued a rebound. The officials initially ruled the quarter had ended, but a replay review showed 0.8 seconds remained on the game clock when the foul occurred. The review allowed LeVert to shoot to two free throws, both of which he made, and extend Cleveland's lead to 10 points before the quarter ended.
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Mobley led the Cavs with 10 points in the first quarter. Ball paced the Hornets with 10 points.
As a team, the Cavs went 14-of-21 shooting (66.7%) from the field (4 of 9 on 3-pointers) in the opening quarter. The Hornets went 11-of-30 shooting (36.7%) from the floor (4 of 11 on 3s).
Cleveland Cavaliers lead Charlotte Hornets 31-20 with 2:50 left in the first quarter
The Cavs had a 31-20 cushion against the Hornets during a Cleveland timeout with 2:50 left in the opening quarter.
At this early stage of the game, Jerome led the Cavs with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field (1 of 2 on 3-pointers). Okoro and Allen had six points apiece. Garland had five points and assists. Allen had four rebounds.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland smiles at fans during a game against the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 17, 2024, in Cleveland.
Darius Garland dishes out two assists in less than four minutes as Cavs jump out to 11-5 lead vs. Hornets
The Cavs assisted on four of their first five successful field goals and took an 11-5 lead over the Hornets to begin the game. Garland dished out two of those assists, and the Cavs had a six-point advantage during a Charlotte timeout with 8:56 remaining in the opening quarter.
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What is Cavs Frog?: 'I've been wanting to dance with that frog': Impromptu mascot inspires 14-0 celebration with Cleveland Cavaliers players
Cleveland Cavaliers guards Darius Garland (10) and Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrate after the Cavs beat the Chicago Bulls on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Cleveland.
Here is some pregame information :
Cavs vs. Hornets injury report
Again, Mitchell is resting Sunday as part of a collaborative plan with input from the five-time All-Star selection, Atkinson said. Mitchell played in the first 14 games this season.
Instead of changing the plan for Mitchell to rest because of the team's historic start to the season, the Cavs kept the big picture in mind.
"When you have a plan, you stick with it, and are people going to remember 15-0 or you stayed healthy into the playoffs?" Atkinson said. "You kind of play that game, right? I have great confidence in our depth. We've obviously got a good team. Guys will have opportunity."
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The Cavs continued to rule out small forward Max Strus (right ankle sprain) and guard Sam Merrill (left ankle inflammation). Based on the original timetable the Cavs provided for Strus , he'll be sidelined for at least two more weeks. Atkinson said he doesn't see Merrill's injury as a long-term setback and described his status as day to day.
The Cavs listed Mobley (illness) as probable to play after he sat out Friday's 144-126 win over the Chicago Bulls . Atkinson said Mobley will face the Hornets. And Mobley started, as expected.
The Hornets have ruled out guard DaQuan Jeffries (right hand fracture) along with centers Nick Richards (fractured rib) and Mark Williams (left foot tendon strain). They listed guard Ball (left index finger sprain) and Bridges (right knee bone bruise injury management) as questionable to play. Hornets coach Charles Lee characterized the statuses of Ball and Bridges as game-time decisions, adding guard Tre Mann (low back return injury management) would be out. Ball and Bridges played and started.
What is the series history between the Cleveland Cavs and Charlotte Hornets ?
Although the Hornets finished last season tied for the third-worst record (21-61) in the NBA, they went 2-1 against the Cavs in 2023-24. One of Charlotte's wins, however, came in the regular-season finale when Cleveland took its collective foot off the gas with the playoffs in mind.
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The Cave headed into Sunday's game 75-51 in their all-time series with the Hornets.
Cleveland Cavaliers column: Donovan Mitchell nurturing Cavs' potential and preserving his health are keys to lofty team goals
The Cleveland Cavaliers unveiled their 2024-25 Nike City Edition uniforms inspired by the Cleveland Art Museum on Thursday.
Cavs debut new uniforms vs. Hornets
The Cavs debuted their new City Edition uniforms along with a specially designed City Edition home court against the Hornets.
The uniforms were were inspired by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Read more about them here .
Nov 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) and center Jarrett Allen (31) celebrate during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
How can I watch, listen, stream Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Charlotte Hornets game?
Sunday's game can be watched locally on the FanDuel Sports Network . It can be heard on the radio via WMMS (100.7-FM) and WTAM (1100-AM).
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs vs Hornets score, Cleveland Cavaliers improve to 15-0
