Wrap-Up – When a young club like the Hornets have a chance to put away a Cavaliers team that’s been struggling on the road, it’s best to do so early. Because once the Wine and Gold get rolling downhill, they’re a tough squad to stop.
After three uninspiring quarters on Friday night in Charlotte, the Cavs snapped out of their mini-funk and snapped their three-game road skein in the process – holding the Hornets to 14 points in the final quarter and hanging on for the 95-90 win.
LeBron James led everyone with 25 points, going 8-for-20 from the floor and adding 13 boards and five assists in the win. He notched only two of his 25 in the final period but was part of a stifling Cavalier defense that allowed just a single Hornet starter – Kemba Walker – to score a single point in the fourth.
Kevin Love notched his 10th double-double of the season before halftime and went on to tally 18 points and a game-high 16 boards despite not seeing the floor in the fourth quarter. In those three quarters of action, the three-time All- Star went 7-for-12 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from long-distance.
J.R. Smith kept his streak of double-digit games rolling, but he did most of that damage late – scoring seven of Cleveland’s final eight points, including a huge trey with just over three minutes remaining and a pair of free throws with 12.9 to play that gave the Cavs a two-possession lead. On both, Smith mimicked the touchdown celebration of Carolina Panthers’ QB Cam Newton – who was seated courtside for Friday’s matchup.
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On the night, Smith finished with 11 points on 4-for-10 shooting, adding three boards and a steal.
With Love and Timofey Mozgov – back in the lineup after three games on the shelf with a shoulder injury – on the bench in the fourth quarter, Cleveland’s reserves came up big.
Richard Jefferson, Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova all played the entire fourth quarter and each contributed heavily to the win.
Jefferson finished with 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting. Thompson grabbed 12 boards – improving his streak of double-digit rebound games to five. And Delly – back from missing Wednesday’s game in Toronto with a sore left calf – added seven points and five helpers, holding Kemba Walker to 2-for-6 shooting without a single assist.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well on Friday night – the Cavaliers at 42 percent; Charlotte at 41. Both squads were 19-of-25 (76 percent) from the stripe. But Cleveland dominated the Hornets on the boards, 50-38 – grabbing 12 of those off the offensive glass.
Turning Point --- In a game that featured 13 lead-changes and 12 ties, the Cavaliers trailed through the third quarter and into the fourth.
But after falling behind by seven, 82-75, the Wine and Gold began chipping away at Charlotte’s lead until Dellavedova canned a long three-pointer from the top of the arc to give Cleveland its first advantage of the second half, 85-84, with 7:08 to play in regulation.
The Hornets would hit only three field goals the rest of the way.
By the Numbers – 21 … straight games that LeBron James has now topped Charlotte – as both the Hornets and Bobcats – the longest current streak in the NBA, topping Matt Barnes, whose teams had beat Minnesota 20 straight. The last time LeBron lost to Charlotte was February 19, 2010 – the last time he played them as a Cavalier before returning to Cleveland last summer.
Quotable – Kevin Love, on not seeing action in the fourth quarter …
”I felt like I was having a good game, but whatever this team needs to do to win, we’ll do it. We have a lot of guys who will sacrifice, and that’s something I did tonight – and I’ll do it any other time as long as we get the W.”
Up Next – Following Friday night’s road victory, the Cavaliers close out the second-half of their back-to-back on Saturday night when they welcome the Brooklyn Nets to The Q. After a two-day break, John Wall and the Wizards make their first trip to Cleveland for a Tuesday night tilt. The Wine and Gold get right back on the road following the two-game stay – taking on the Pelicans on Friday night in the Big Easy and traveling to South Beach for a Saturday night date with the Heat.