CLEVELAND, OH — The Cavaliers got off to a quick start and did just enough down to stretch to hold on for a 100-98 win over the Hornets on Wednesday night.
Cleveland built a 24-point third quarter lead and never trailed in their seventh win of the season.
Kevin Love led the Cavaliers with 16 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. He hit a critical 3-pointer to give the Cavs a 14-point lead with eight minutes remaining.
The Hornets fought back. Terry Rozier made seven 3-pointers in the second half to help the Hornets pull within two with 21 seconds left. Collin Sexton dribbled the ball off of his left foot to give Charlotte the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead with 16 seconds remaining.
Rozier, who went to Shaker Heights High School, got the look he wanted — a wide open 3-pointer with less than five seconds to go. It bounced off the back iron and Larry Nance Jr. secured the rebound.
The Cavaliers held on for the win, but Rozier and the Hornets gave them all they could handle down the stretch.
Tristan Thompson and Nance Jr. made critical free throws in the final minutes.
“We pulled it off," Sexton said. "We made some bad mistakes at the end — some costly turnovers and we gave up some open threes. We’re going to watch film and get better at it. A win is a win and we are happy we got a win.”
Sexton finished with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Cedi Osman had 18 points and three rebounds for Cleveland.
The Cavaliers shot 54 percent (40-74) from the floor, but only made 27 percent (7-26) of their 3-point attempts. They also finished with 23 turnovers — including 17 in the second half, which allowed the Hornets to get back in the game.
Rookie Darius Garland finished with seven points and six assists. It was his fourth game in a row with at least five assists. He connected with Kevin Porter Jr. and Thompson for alley-oops early in the game, which got the home crowd on their feet.
The Cavs improve to 7-21 on the season. They’ve won two of their last four games.
Up Next
The Cavaliers’ home stand continues on Friday night against the Grizzlies.
