Charlotte’s Shooting Stalls in the 4th Quarter as Cavs Maintain Perfect Record

Twelve different NBA teams have had a crack at taking down the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers through the opening three-and-a-half weeks of the NBA season. On Sunday evening, the Charlotte Hornets became the latest challenger to fall short with their 128-114 road loss.

Top Performers: LaMelo Ball notched his eighth 30-point game of the year, finishing with 31 points on 11-of-29 shooting – 5-of-15 from 3-point range – and a season-high 12 assists. Miles Bridges added 19 points, while Grant Williams, Brandon Miller and Josh Green each had 15, marking the second time this year that all five Charlotte starters have scored in double figures.

Without five-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell (rest) available, Cleveland received a foursome of 20-point showings from Darius Garland (25), Ty Jerome (24 points and eight assists, both tying a career high), Evan Mobley (23), and Jarrett Allen (21) in the win. Garland (season-high 12 assists), Mobley (11 rebounds) and Allen (15 rebounds) all managed double-doubles, as well.

Turning Point: Cleveland shot a spectacular 67% on a heavy dose of paint and 3-point attempts in the opening half, putting itself ahead 72-59 at the break (most first-half points allowed by Charlotte this season). A blistering 9-of-13 clip from deep lit a 40-point third quarter for the Hornets and they entered the fourth trailing by only three. But for whatever reason, that behind-the-arc shot-making magic completely disappeared over the final 12 minutes, resulting in a flip-flopped 0-of-10 mark. With the victory, the 15-0 Cavaliers tied the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and 1948-49 Washington Capitols for the second-best seasonal start in NBA history.

Charlotte Gifts a Free-Throw Bounty

One night after holding Milwaukee to 11 free-throw attempts, Charlotte took a step back and allocated the Cavaliers 28 trips to the line, where they missed only once (96.4%). Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee spoke on this after the game, stating that while Cleveland probably got a couple 50-50 calls here and there, the Hornets’ defense needed to play with more discipline.

Cleveland’s Tough Inside-Out Combo

The towering duo of Mobley and Allen, both of whom are at least 6-foot-11, continuously pulled in multiple Charlotte defenders, leading to either makeable rim shots (13-of-15 combined) or kick-out 3-pointers. Starting Bridges and Williams down low is the Hornets’ best option right now, and there’s going to be times – like tonight – where the matchup is just overly difficult.

Micić Makes the Most of Minutes

With lower back soreness sidelining Tre Mann for the second time in three games, the Hornets got some solid production from Vasilije Micić. The former EuroLeague MVP, who hasn’t played a whole lot this season, tallied nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range in 14 minutes and drew postgame praise from Lee for his offensive initiation, energy, and preparation.

Postgame Quote

“As the Cavs are building a lead, I thought we had a couple moments where we’re getting some good looks. We got a couple defensive stops, we’re right there and we give up an offensive rebound… A lot goes through your head, but [I] more so focus on all the good stuff that helped us stay right there where we’re almost over the hump.” – Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee

What’s Next?

The Hornets will conclude their two-game voyage with an Emirates NBA Cup game against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, Nov. 19 beginning at 7:30 PM ET on the FanDuel Sports Network. A Charlotte victory would give the team its first three-game winning streak in the regular season head-to-head series since Jan. 21, 2017 – Feb. 22, 2018.