A sign of a good squad is handling business against teams you’re better than on the road and that’s exactly what the Charlotte Hornets did Friday night against the Cavaliers, defeating Cleveland 123-112. Despite being down in the first half, the Hornets were able to control the game in the second half and pull away. Charlotte used a 19-2 run at the beginning of the 4th quarter – fueled by seven Cavalier turnovers to gain control. Miles Bridges and Kelly Oubre led the show tonight for Charlotte. Miles scored 30 points and grabbed seven boards, while Oubre scored 25 points off the bench. Lamelo Ball and Gordon Hayward also gave solid contributions tonight, with 17 and 18 points for the duo. Up next for the Hornets is a back-to-back starting in Brooklyn Sunday versus the Nets, and then back home Monday versus the Celtics.
Quick Observations:
- The Hornets guarded the 3-point line better against the Cavs. Charlotte held Cleveland to 9/31 shooting from 3 (29%).
- Terry Rozier is going to need a few games to ease his way back into the flow of things coming off an ankle injury. Rozier only scored 6 points on 1-5 shooting. Even more concerning is that Rozier may have tweaked his ankle again and is listed as day-to-day.
- Despite getting dunked on by Jarrett Allen, Mason Plumlee grabbed 14 rebounds against the Cavs and helped the Hornets win the rebounding battle. Charlotte out-rebounded Cleveland 46 to 36.
- The Kelly Oubre signing has looked good so far. Oubre’s 2-way ability has been a nice addition to the Hornets roster. He is averaging 19.5 points per game and will be someone the Hornets will depend on while Terry Rozier works his way back into the flow. Oubre is a starting caliber player coming off the bench and will fill in just fine if Gordon Hayward or Rozier miss games this season.
Slow Starts Continue to Plague Tar Heels