By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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Result
Kicking off a five-game road trip with the second game of a back-to-back against the reigning NBA champions proved to be too tall an order for the Charlotte Hornets as they fell to the Cavaliers, 116-105, on Saturday, Dec. 10 in Cleveland. Although the Hornets managed to rally in the third quarter, their defense was unable to contain a red-hot Cavaliers team in the first half that finished the game shooting 57.5 percent from the field. The loss also marked Charlotte’s eighth defeat in nine games against Cleveland since the start of the 2014-15 NBA season.
Turning Point
The Cavaliers were unstoppable in the first quarter as they drained 15-of-21 field-goal attempts (71.4 percent) to take a 36-26 lead over the visiting Hornets at the end of the frame. Cleveland would then end up closing out the first half shooting 68.3 percent from the field and holding a 15-point lead over the visiting Hornets. Charlotte did manage to cut the deficit down to three in the second half but the early hole was ultimately too much to overcome in the end.
Hornets Player of the Game
Kemba Walker led the way with a team-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting and a team-high-tying five assists before exiting in the fourth quarter with a left knee injury. Walker has now scored 20-or-more points in all but six of his 24 games played this season.
Cavaliers Player of the Game
LeBron James had another masterful night with a season-high 44 points, nine rebounds and a game-high 10 assists in the Cleveland victory. This is James’ 11th double-double of the season and the fourth time overall he has scored 30-or-more points in a game this year.
Game Notes
Cody Zeller finished with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and a team-high nine rebounds… Marco Belinelli tacked on 15 points off the bench (3-of-4 from three-point range)… Marvin Williams (11 points) and Jeremy Lamb (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Hornets… Nicolas Batum chipped in nine points, six rebounds and four assists… Cleveland narrowly won the rebounding battle with Charlotte, 40-39, although the Hornets held a 12-7 advantage in offensive boards… The Cavaliers turned the ball over 18 times while the Hornets had just 14 giveaways… Kemba Walker is currently listed as day-to-day with a left knee contusion.
Quote of the Night
“We came out with the wrong disposition and the wrong mentality. We let [Kevin] Love and [LeBron] James get going early, playing right to their strengths and when you do that against the great ones, they get in rhythm and things are hard to handle.” - Steve Clifford
Quote of the Night
“We came out with the wrong disposition and the wrong mentality. We let [Kevin] Love and [LeBron] James get going early, playing right to their strengths and when you do that against the great ones, they get in rhythm and things are hard to handle.” - Steve Clifford
Next Up
The Hornets will take on the Pacers at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12 in Indianapolis, IN. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.
next up
Monday Dec 12 - 7:00 pmBankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Fox Sports Southeast - Charlotte Hornets App & WFNZ 610 AM