NBA

Cleveland Cavaliers at Charlotte Hornets

· National Basketball Association
21-3, 8-2 Away
Final
116 - 102

6-17, 5-9 Home

Mobley scores career-high 41 points as Cavaliers beat Hornets 116-102

Josh Green rocks the rim with slam

Mobley scored 23 points as the Cavaliers built a 40-18 lead after the first quarter en route to their 21st victory in 24 games. The forward then had seven points in a late 12-2 surge as Cleveland held on.

Brandon Miller scored 24 points for Charlotte, which got as close as 104-100 with 5:05 left to play in its eighth straight loss.

Takeaways Cavaliers: The Cavaliers won their fourth straight game since a two-game losing streak in late November and continued their franchise’s best start since the 2008-09 season.

Hornets: The Hornets suited up nine players from their 15-player active roster. Probable starters LaMelo Ball (left calf strain), Miles Bridges (right knee bruise) and Nick Richards (right ankle sprain) were out. Reserve Grant Williams (torn knee ligament) told reporters before the game he would be having reconstructive knee surgery on Wednesday in Chicago with a recovery time of eight to 12 months.

Key moment The Cavs scored on five straight possessions as part of the 12-2 surge that pushed their lead back up to 116-102 after the Hornets had closed within four. with 1:46 left.

Key stat The Cavaliers have scored triple figures in all 24 games this season and lead the NBA in scoring average at 121.8 points per game. Their lowest total this season was 101 in a 117-101 loss at Atlanta on Nov. 29.

Up next The Cavaliers visit Miami on Sunday and the Hornets visit Indiana on Sunday.

Regular Season Series

CLE leads series 2-0

Matchup Prediction

Hornets: 13.5%
Cavaliers: 86.5%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 116 - 102
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 116 - 102
4th 21.1 Vasilije Micic lost ball turnover (Evan Mobley steals) 116 - 102
4th 23.2 Vasilije Micic defensive rebound 116 - 102
4th 25.1 Darius Garland misses 26-foot three point pullup jump shot 116 - 102

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/cle.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCLE https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/cha.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCHA
42-84 FG 37-86
50.0 Field Goal % 43.0
14-38 3PT 11-39
36.8 Three Point % 28.2
18-24 FT 17-19
75.0 Free Throw % 89.5
47 Rebounds 37
14 Offensive Rebounds 10
33 Defensive Rebounds 27
28 Assists 21
6 Steals 6
6 Blocks 5
11 Turnovers 10
1 Team Turnovers 1
12 Total Turnovers 11
3 Technical Fouls 0
3 Total Technical Fouls 0
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
16 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 21
4 Fast Break Points 27
48 Points in Paint 42
20 Fouls 27
22 Largest Lead 1

Game Information

Spectrum Center

Location: Charlotte, NC
Attendance: 18,832 · Capacity:

2024-25 Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Cleveland 56 10 .848 - W16
Milwaukee 38 28 .576 18 W2
Indiana 37 29 .561 19 L1
Detroit 37 31 .544 20 L2
Chicago 28 39 .418 28.5 L1

2024-25 Southeast Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Atlanta 32 35 .478 - L1
Orlando 31 37 .456 1.5 L1
Miami 29 38 .433 3 L7
Charlotte 17 49 .258 14.5 W1
Washington 15 51 .227 16.5 W2
Full Standings

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