Top Three Cleveland Cavaliers Standouts From Victory Over Charlotte Hornets

Three members of Cleveland's core four helped guide the Cavs to a five-point win over the Hornets on Friday.

Feb 20, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) dribbles against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers kept up their red-hot run in their February schedule with a 118-113 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.

The trio of Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and James Harden took point for the Cavs as they scored a combined 76 points.

Rookie wing Kon Knueppel, who is fresh off a short run alongside Jaylon Tyson in the Rising Stars Challenge, led the way for Charlotte with 33 points and seven makes from the three-point line.

Jarrett Allen

Jan 6, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) in the first half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Jarrett Allen, an anchor for the Cavs' core four for more than half a decade, finished the night with 26 points and 14 rebounds while staying efficient with 11 makes on 15 tries.

He only continued his month of brilliance as he notched his 15th double-double of the year, including his sixth in seven games, as he confidently worked in the paint on both sides of the floor. The former All-Star leads the Cavs with 12 rebounds per game while taking second place on the roster with just over 23 points per game in the month of February.

He'll need to keep his impressive streak alive as Cleveland takes to Oklahoma City to face one of the NBA's strongest squads in the Thunder on Sunday.

Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell pushed past a slower shooting night to end things off with a team-leading 32 points. The fourth-year Cavalier used his strength and smarts as a downhill scorer to finally find his stride in the fourth quarter, where he hit four of his six tries from the floor and one of his two shots from three-point range.

He tacked on four assists as he threaded the needle on tough passes and tied together an early fastbreak to put the Cavs up by one early on.

James Harden

Feb 20, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) dribbles against Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) during the second quarter at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

James Harden continued to make his mark as a passer with a game-leading eight assists as he continuously found his teammates on more routine passes. He added 18 points as an up-and-down shooting night was highlighted by a barrage of floaters and a pair of three-point makes. The Cavs are 5-0 since the 11-time All-Star first made his Cavs debut earlier this month, but will be tested as they face two conference leaders in the Thunder and Detroit Pistons over their next stretch of February matchups.

Cleveland will move on to face Oklahoma City at 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday in the Paycom Center. The game will be broadcast on ABC.