CLEVELAND — In desperate need of redemption, the Cavaliers halted their three-game losing streak Monday night by prevailing 115-92 against the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse .
It was the second game of a back to back for the Cavs (44-28), but fatigue couldn't be used an excuse. Not this time. Not with the Cavs coming off a humiliating 121-84 loss Sunday at the Miami Heat . The 37-point setback was Cleveland 's largest margin of defeat this season.
Despite dealing with a bevy of injuries, the Cavs needed to take care of business against the Hornets (17-54). Cleveland obliged, and Charlotte is now on a five-game losing streak.
Tipoff for Cavs versus Hornets occurred shortly after 7 p.m. Monday. Here is how our updates unfolded throughout the game.
Below is some information about the fourth quarter.
Although the Cavs were cold in the first quarter, they finished 46-of-86 shooting (53.5%) from the field (17 of 41 on 3-pointers). By comparison, the Hornets went 34-of-80 shooting (42.5%) from the floor (9 of 28 on 3-pointers).
The Cavs improved to 13-0 this season while holding opponents to fewer than 100 points.
Center Jarrett Allen and forwards Evan Mobley and Georges Niang led the Cavs with 17 points apiece.
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Allen reached 6,000 career points in the NBA during the fourth quarter, drawing cheers from the crowd and his teammates on the bench. Allen also had a game-high 13 rebounds. The Cavs outrebounded the Hornets 47-33.
Point guard Darius Garland posted a double-double, too, with 15 points and 10 assists. As a team, the Cavs had a season-high 41 assists.
Hornets forward Brandon Miller scored a game-high 24 points. Forward Miles Bridges added 13 points.
The Cavs led the Hornets 86-68 after backup guard Sam Merrill made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions. The sequence and 18-point deficit compelled Charlotte to call timeout with 10:10 remaining. Merrill finished with 12 points.
Below is some information about the third quarter.
After Hornets guard Tre Mann made a 3-pointer from way beyond the arc, the Cavs scored the final five points of the third quarter to seize a 78-66 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Mobley produced a three-point play with 36.9 seconds left, and Niang banked in a floater for a 12-point advantage with 1.3 seconds remaining.
The Cavs are going back and forth with the Hornets enough to maintain some cushion.
Small forward Isaac Okoro answered forward Grant Williams' 3-pointer by making a 3 of his own with 3:14 left in the third quarter. The shot gave the Cavs a 70-60, which remained the score during a timeout with 2:55 remaining.
The Cavs led 59-45 with 8:48 left in the third quarter after Mobley made a dunk on an alley-oop from guard Caris LeVert and a layup on consecutive possessions.
The sequence allowed the Cavs to negate Miller's attempt to will the Hornets to a rally. Miller scored Charlotte's first eight points of the second half. At this checkpoint, he had a team-high 18 points.
Below is some information about the second quarter.
The Cavs scored 31 points in the second quarter after producing just 20 points in the opening quarter. As a result, they led the Hornets 51-37 at halftime.
So what happened? In the simplest terms, the Cavs started hitting their shots. They went 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range in the second quarter after making just 2 of 14 attempts from long range in the first quarter.
Niang led the Cavs with nine points on 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point range in the second quarter. He trailed only Allen (12 points) in first-half scoring among Cavs players. Allen also grabbed six rebounds, and the Cavs outrebounded the Hornets 23-17 through two quarters.
Miller led the Hornets with 10 points in the first half. Bridges and center Nick Richards added eight points apiece.
The Cavs have suddenly started making 3-pointers. On consecutive possessions, Okoro and point guard Darius Garland each hit a shot from deep. Okoro finished with 14 points.
With 3:37 left in the second quarter, the Cavs led 41-32.
With 6:34 left in the second quarter, Cavs forward Marcus Morris Sr. was ejected for committing a Flagrant-2 foul on Richards. The foul was upgraded to a Flagrant-2 during a replay review, which showed Morris elbow Richards in the face.
After Richards made two foul shots to tie the score 27-27, Niang nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to give Cleveland a 33-27 lead and prompt Charlotte to call timeout with 5:30 left in the second quarter.
Below is some information about the first quarter.
The Cavs and Hornets were tied 20-20 after an ugly first quarter.
The Cavs could have obtained an edge, but Mobley missed a pair of free throws with 28.4 seconds left in the opening quarter. Mobley's trip to the foul line was hardly Cleveland's only missed opportunity.
The Cavs went 9-of-24 shooting from the field (37.5%) in the first quarter, and the Hornets went 6-of-16 shooting from the floor (37.5%).
Through a first quarter featuring little offense, Allen and Bridges were tied for a game-high six points.
The Cavs are off to a slow start on offense. The good news for them? The Hornets have been even less efficient.
With 2:04 left in the first quarter, the score was tied 15-15. The Cavs were 7-of-21 shooting from the field (33.3%), and the Hornets were 4-of-13 shooting from the field (30.8%).
The Cavs gained a 7-2 lead out of the gate, but Bridges seemed determined to compete. Bridges scored four of the Hornets' first nine points and tied the score 9-9 by making a 3-pointer with 7:10 remaining in the first quarter.
The score remained the same during a timeout with 6:43 remaining.
Below is some pregame information.
With 10 regular-season games remaining before the playoffs begin April 20, the Cavs are hanging onto third place in the Eastern Conference standings by a thread. The fourth-place New York Knicks (43-28) and fifth-place Orlando Magic (42-29) are right behind them.
After Monday's games, the Cavs were positioned to face the sixth-place Indiana Pacers (41-32) in the first round of the postseason, but so much could change in the next few weeks.
The Cavs ruled out All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell (nasal fracture), starting small forward Max Strus (knee strain) and reserve forward Dean Wade (knee sprain). It was the fifth consecutive missed game for Mitchell, the 12th for Strus and the ninth for Wade.
Cavs backup point guard Ty Jerome (ankle) remains out and has been sidelined for virtually the entire season.
On Sunday, Mobley returned from a nine-game absence caused by a sprained ankle. He scored 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field (2 of 2 on 3-pointers) and grabbed four rebounds in 21 minutes.
The Hornets ruled out the following players due to injury: guard LaMelo Ball (ankle), guard Seth Curry (ankle), guard/forward Cody Martin (ankle) and center Mark Williams (back). They listed guard Bryce McGowens (knee) as questionable and forward JT Thor (shoulder) as probable. McGowens didn't play, but Thor did.
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The Cavs are now 75-49 in their all-time series with the Hornets and have won six of the past eight meetings. Cleveland holds a 47-15 advantage at home.
Last season, the Cavs went 3-1 against the Hornets.
Monday's game was the first between the two teams this season. They will reunite Wednesday in Charlotte and April 14 during the regular-season finale in Cleveland.
This season, the Cavs are 25-5 against opponents with records below .500.
The game was televised locally on Bally Sports Ohio. It was broadcast on the radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1-FM).
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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 game: Cavaliers end 3-game losing streak
