Late Surge Lifts Hornets Past Cavs

A big part of a team’s growth process is figuring out how to close out games. In that respect, the young Cavaliers are still growing.

In the closing moments of a see-saw affair in which Charlotte took a late lead, Cleveland got back to within three with three minutes to play, but the Hornets went on a quick 7-0 run that gave them just enough breathing space to pull away and avoid the season sweep – taking the 108-102 win on Friday night at the Spectrum Center.

Three Hornets starters notched 25 points apiece and, as a team, committed just five turnovers. The Cavs shot 51 percent from the floor and out-rebounded Charlotte, 47-39. In the end, the Hornets’ late push was the tale of the tape.

Cleveland got another strong night from its starting backcourt.

Collin Sexton led all scorers with 28 points, going 11-for-19 from the floor, including 3-of-8 from deep, adding seven boards, a pair of assists and a steal despite battling foul issues for most of the night.

Darius Garland was just as good – adding 27 points and a team-high six assists, going 12-for-20 from the floor, adding four boards and a pair of steals.

Jarrett Allen was perfect in six attempts from the floor, finishing with 15 points to go with a team-best nine boards.

Kevin Love rounded out the Cavs starters in double-figures with 12 points, going 3-of-7 from long-range, 3-of-11 from the floor overall, adding five boards and a pair of assists.

Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 10 points off the bench, going 5-of-5 from the floor to go with five boards, a pair of assists and the squad’s only blocked shot. Matthew Dellavedova led Cleveland with seven assists.

Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington and Terry Rozier notched 25 points apiece for Charlotte, with Bridges adding a game-high 10 boards in the win.

Miss any of the action? Find all the highlights and photos in the Game Tracker.

Darius Garland hit Jarrett Allen with a left handed no-look dime in the firs quarter, the Allen catches and throws down.

Friday’s contest was tight throughout, with six ties and 13 lead-changes before Charlotte took a one-point lead on Jalen McDaniels tip-in with 6:09 left in regulation.

It stayed close from there, and the Wine & Gold were within three when Kevin Love drained a triple with 3:21 to play to make it 98-95.

But as he’s done to his hometown team many times before, Terry Rozier drilled a dagger to key a 7-0 Hornets run to give them their first double-digit lead of the night – and enough room to ice the win.

By the Numbers - .826 … combined shooting percentage – 19-for-23 – for the Cavaliers big man combination of Jarrett Allen and Isaiah Hartenstein over the past two games.

Both were a combined 11-for-11 from the field on Friday. Over the two-game stretch, Allen is 10-of-12; Hartenstein, 9-for-11.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, on Friday night’s loss in Charlotte …

"I thought there were things we did defensively really well and there were opportunities offensively where we share the ball and made each other better. But they made shots, and some really timely shots down the stretch that bit us in the butt. Our guys were in the right spots, but they were just able to knock down shots."

Enjoy the best broadcast calls of the night from Cavaliers Radio Network's Tim Alcorn and Rafa Hernandez-Brito from Power 89.1.

After leaving Tobacco Road, the Cavaliers close out their last extended trip of the season and won’t play multiple road games the rest of the way after the upcoming back-to-back.

Unfortunately, that back-to-back won’t be easy – taking on two of the hottest teams in the East: traveling to D.C. for a Sunday night showdown with Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal and the Wizards followed by a Monday night meeting in the Sunshine State against the Raptors.

Cleveland comes home to close out the month of April, welcoming the Magic to town on Wednesday followed by a rematch with the Wizards next Friday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.