Cavaliers “Get Right” with Win Over Limping Hornets
Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said his team may have gotten a little complacent during its eight-game win streak in October. After being dealt a dose of reality via a five-game losing skid, the Cavs got back on track Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets with a 132-122 win in double-overtime.
Cleveland needed two extra frames to put away the Hornets after they let a ten-point cushion evaporate in the final minutes.
Terry Rozier canned a corner three-pointer with .5 seconds left to tie the game at 105 and force overtime. An extra five minutes wasn't enough as the two teams were once again square at 120 after the initial overtime.
In the second OT period, the Cavs turned it on, outscoring the Hornets 12-2 to put the game away,
No one rose to the occasion more than Darius Garland, who scored 41 points and added six assists, knocking down several clutch buckets in the extra frames. His back-court companion Donovan Mitchell added 34 points and six helpers of his own. Meanwhile, Evan Mobley added a double-double of his own with 21 points and 18 rebounds.
The Wine and Gold received a shot in the arm before tipoff when it was announced that Jarrett Allen would be back in the lineup after missing the last to games with an injury and non-covid related illness.
Allen produced immediately, recording a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
He electrified the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse crowd with an alley-oop feed to Mobley in the 2nd quarter and obliterated Mason Plumlee’s face with a one-handed slam on a feed from Donovan Mitchell in the 3rd.
Bickerstaff felt his team needed a spark, so he inserted Lamar Stevens into the starting lineup in place of Caris LeVert. While Stevens didn’t register a point, it may have served as a wake-up call of sorts
The Cavs held the Hornets to just 14 points in the first quarter and held a 28-14 edge after the first 12 minutes. The Cavs out-rebounded the Hornets 14-5 in the first frame, as Evan Mobley had eight boards to himself; the most rebounds he had in a single quarter in his NBA career.
Charlotte clawed back to within two possessions in the third quarter when the game got chippy after Kelly Oubre Jr. was issued a technical foul. Shortly afterwards, Isaac Okoro was slapped with a T of his own, followed by Bickerstaff in protest.
The Cavs led 70-66 with 3:24 to play, which could’ve been a turning point for the Hornets. But the Wine and Gold followed the mayhem up with a 7-0 run and forced a shot-clock violation to push the lead back to a comfortable distance.
The Hornets were without LaMelo Ball, who re-injured his left ankle on Wednesday night when he stepped on a fan’s foot sitting courtside. In his absence, Charlotte battled, outscoring the Cavs 35-23 in the fourth to force overtime, before Cleveland prevailed.
Oubre Jr. had 34 points before fouling out and P.J. Washington also added 28 of his own. Terry Rozier scored 28 points for Charlotte.
Back in the win column, the Cavs now shift their attention to Sunday night when they welcome the Miami Heat to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse as their four-game homestand continues.
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