The Cavs improved to 15-0 and continue historic franchise start after defeating the Charlotte Hornets 128 - 114.
The Cavs were shorthanded as they were without Donovan Mitchell was out for rest and Sam Merrill missed his 3 straight game with an ankle injury.
The opening period started with the Cavs third different starting lineup of the season with Ty Jerome getting the his first start as a Cavalier.
After they scored on their first two possession the Cavs found themselves down 5-4. The Cavs quickly regained the lead and went on a 20-7 run over the next 4 minutes.
During his pregame media availability Coach Kenny Atkinson expressed that his team could improve when it came to their defense and closing on shooters.
“We seem to give up some big quarters, you know, where we're all sudden. It's like we scored 40-something points, but we also gave up 36 in that first quarter. And it's like, and I know with the proliferation of three-point shooting that happens, and it's part of it. But, we showed our contest level was not great? You got to contest with all the threes. You better have great contests. And I feel like, sometimes, we do not give the shooting in this league enough respect. Oh, a guys’ shooting 31%, I'm going to give them a so-so close out, and I'm just trying to get them to understand that the league is changing. Everybody's shooting threes now. Now we are going to go run a guy off the line who shoots 24% from the three-point. I'm not saying that, but there is a level of contest you need. My phrase is, contest to make a miss. Just don't contest to contest”
The Cavs held the Hornets to 36% shooting from the floor and 36% from behind the arc. The Cavs also domintaed in the paint with 20 points in the paint in the first quarter. The Cavs ended the first quarter with a 38-28 advantage.
The second quarter the Cavs scorching hot shooting remained as they shot 66% from the floor for the entire first half. The Cavs bench mob even without Sam Merrill show up big for the Cavs. Craig Porter Jr and Georges Niang combined for 12 second quarter points.and shooting 50% from the 3 point land.
Evan Mobley after scoring 10 points to open the game added 6 7more to his point total to lead the Cavs in score at the half with 16 points and also threw in 5 rebounds. The Cavs went into halftime with a 72- 59 lead, but it was far from a perfect half the home team.
Darius Garland's hot start to the year continued as he contributed 11 points and 9 first half assists and Ty Jerome who made his first start had 13 points and a plus/minus of +17 during his time on the floor.
In speaking with the media pregame Coach Atkinson expressed that he believes his team could do better at offensive rebounding.
“I always look at what fits your personnel best. And I still think we can do a better job. I think we have a strategy in place. But again, I think it's an area we have to improve on because I know there's going to come a playoff game where we're like, man we're not making shots. Can we go get some extra ones?”
After the end of the first half the Cavs totaled just 1 offensive rebound while they allowed the Hornets to grab 10 offensive rebounds. The Hornets converted 40% of their second chance opportunities.
The Cavs unveiled their new city edition jersey, paying homage to the Playhouse Square area of downtown Cleveland and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
The Hornets opened the second half with a 20-10 run to close the lead to 3 at 82-79. The third quarter was the Cavs’ sloppiest as they turned the ball over 7 times which lead to 10 Hornet points.
After the game Coach Atkinson expressed how the Hornets 5 man-out style of play gave them problems despite the Cavs shooting ball extremely well.
“I think we're shooting like crazy. I mean, we're shooting the three ball at a really high rate. And I was really happy, even that second half, we had five rotation guys out tonight, if you think about it, with Dean and Isaac going out with the ankle injury. So it speaks to the depth we have and the skill level [we have]. We have kind of 1 through 15. We're just a deep, deep team, and everybody can pretty much shoot it, too. But I tell you, 41 point third quarter again; you know these five out teams, they start spreading you out. It's a real challenge. So credit to Charlotte, on a back-to-back. I thought they came and they brought it. They gave us a lot of problems defensively.”
The Cavs also suffered two injuries in the quarter, fist Isaac Okoro went down with a sprained ankle and a few minutes later Dean Wade suffered the same ailment. Both players did not return to the game.
The Hornets eventually cut the Cavs got as close as 2 points and ended the quarter down 3 102-99 to the undefeated Cavs.
The final quarter started with the Cavs instant energy boost Ty Jerome making a crazy flip shot over his shoulder and off the glass and completed the and-1 by making the free throw to put the Cavs up 6. The following possession the Cavs caused a 24 second shot clock violation and Georges Niang nailed a 3 to put the Cavs up by 9 within the first 3 minutes of the quarter.
The Cavs stalled out the Hornets with their defensive pressure and timely shots. Ty Jerome nailed a 3 pointer to give the Cavs a 12 point lead a few possessions later Darius Garland drilled a 3 from the top of the key to give the Cavs a 124-110 lead. With 94 seconds left in regulation Coach Atkinson emptied his bench and the crowd cheered on their team as they extended their winning streak and record to 15-0 to start the season.
The Cavs are just the fourth team to start 15-0 joining the 48-49 Washington Capitols (15-0), 93-94 Houston Rockets (15-0) and 15-16 Golden State Warriors (24-0).
The Cavs face their biggest challenge when they travel to Boston Tuesday.
For Jarrett Allen it’ll be a good test to see where they stand so far.
“I'm looking forward to it like we said. It's a rematch of what it was, except I know they didn't have some players now. We didn't have me, so I just want to help our team, propel us forward and try to beat them, you know, test where we are with them.”
When asked Evan Mobley said this was a game he looked forward to on the calendar and that he’s excited for the matchup but you reminds people you cant put too much into one game.
“Yeah, I mean, I feel like a lot of guys definitely know what's coming this next game, and it's going to be exciting. At the same time, it's still early, and you can't put too much into one basket. But it's definitely going to be exciting. I feel like everyone's going to be locked in.”
The Celtics (11-3) host the Cavaliers (15-0) Tuesday November 19,2024.