CLEVELAND, OH — The Cavaliers got off to a great start, but they couldn’t hold off a fourth quarter Hornets rally on Thursday night.
Devonte’ Graham made a 36-foot 3-pointer with 23 seconds left to help propel Charlotte to a 109-106 win.
The Cavaliers led by as many as 11 points and had a 100-91 lead with 5:17 remaining, but the Hornets battled back and took the lead in the final minute. Charlotte ended the game on a 18-6 run.
Collin Sexton had a chance to tie the game with a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it bounced off the back iron and the Hornets escaped with the win.
Five players scored 10 or more points for the Cavs, including rookie Darius Garland who finished with 14 points, five rebounds and a career-high eight assists.
The young Cavs continue to show signs of growth, but late-game struggles cost them down the stretch.
Kevin Love finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Sexton led the team with 21 points.
The Cavaliers improve to 10-24 on the season. The Hornets snapped a 6-game losing streak.
Home Debut
Dante Exum made his Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse debut for the Cavaliers. The 24-year-old finished with seven points, five rebounds and two assists in 12 minutes. At 6’6” tall, Exum brings much needed size to the Cavs’ backcourt.
“We’ve seen it a couple of times now where [it’s] just him getting to the basket or defending,” head coach John Beilein said before the game. “You can see he was well-coached in Utah. There’s been a couple times where he’s taken the ball to the hoop really strong and showed that at the rim he could either see people or he could score over them or around them.”
Up Next
The Cavaliers play the Thunder at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Saturday night.
