Cleveland Cavaliers Hold Off Charlotte Hornets In 94-87 Win
There is an old saying in the NBA: “A win is a win.” It’s the cliché coaches mumble during press conferences when they know their team played like garbage but still managed to escape with a ‘W.’ That is exactly what the Cleveland Cavaliers did in Charlotte.
If you turned this game off at halftime, you probably went to bed thinking the Cavs had put together a masterclass. They were up 56-32. The ball was moving, the defense was suffocating, and the vibes were immaculate. But if you stayed tuned in for the second half, you were treated to the full, heart-palpitating experience that comes with being a Cleveland sports fan.
The Cavaliers eventually closed the door, securing a 94-87 victory, their 25th of the season, but the journey to the final buzzer was a lot more stressful than it had any right to be.
A Tale Of Two Halves For the Cavaliers
It’s hard to overstate just how dominant Cleveland looked in the first 24 minutes. They held the Hornets to a miserable 12 points in the second quarter. The energy was infectious. It looked like the kind of game where the starters would be icing their knees on the bench by the middle of the fourth quarter.
But the NBA is a game of runs, and the Cavaliers completely lost their footing coming out of the locker room. That 24-point halftime lead? It evaporated. The Hornets, who have actually been boasting a top-tier offense over the last two weeks, finally woke up. They chipped away, eventually cutting the deficit to just four points in the fourth quarter.
Suddenly, a laugher turned into a nail-biter. The offense stagnated, the defensive rotations got lazy, and you could practically feel the collective blood pressure of Northeast Ohio rising. It was a stark reminder that this team, while talented, still has a bad habit of playing down to its competition when they get comfortable.
The Evan Mobley Mystery Continues
If you want a microcosm of this game, look no further than Evan Mobley. In the first half, Mobley looked like the franchise cornerstone everyone expects him to be. He had 13 points and 11 rebounds before the break, throwing down jaw-dropping dunks and controlling the paint. He was aggressive, decisive, and frankly, unstoppable.
Then came the second half, and Mobley effectively vanished.
He finished the game with just 14 points. That means in the entire second half, when the offense was sputtering and the team desperately needed a bucket, Mobley scored exactly 1 point. This has been a recurring theme for the big man—flashes of absolute brilliance followed by long stretches of passivity. For the Cavaliers to truly contend, they need Mobley to stick around for all 48 minutes.
Donovan Mitchell and the Turnover Bug
Donovan Mitchell finished with a team-high 24 points, but this wasn’t his finest hour. Mitchell shot 8-for-20 from the field, which is passable, but the real story was the sloppiness. He coughed up 8 turnovers, fueling Charlotte’s comeback attempt and giving them easy transition opportunities.
To be fair to Mitchell, he is being asked to do everything right now. With Darius Garland still sidelined, the burden of playmaking falls squarely on Mitchell’s shoulders, and you can see the fatigue setting in. The Cavaliers are clearly missing Garland’s steady hand and efficient command of the offense. Mitchell is an elite scorer, but when he’s forced to play “hero ball” and point guard simultaneously, things can get messy.
A Lucky Break On Defense
We have to talk about the Charlotte Hornets for a second. The Cavs’ defense was good in spurts, but they also caught a massive break: LaMelo Ball couldn’t hit the ocean from a boat.
Ball had a night he’ll want to burn the tape on immediately. He shot 1-for-15 from the floor and went 0-for-10 from deep. It was a brick-laying performance for the ages. Brandon Miller tried to pick up the slack with 24 points, but when your star point guard is shooting 6%, you aren’t going to win many basketball games.
Looking Ahead For Cleveland
At the end of the day, the standings don’t ask how pretty the win was. The Cavaliers avoided a disastrous collapse and added another win to the column. But this game served as a warning shot. You can’t play 24 minutes of basketball and expect to beat elite teams.
The Cavs are back home this weekend to host the Sacramento Kings before hitting the road to face the Orlando Magic. If they want to keep this momentum going, they’re going to need to find a way to play a complete game.
