Donovan Mitchell-less Cleveland Cavaliers rip Charlotte Hornets as perfect NBA start hits 15-0
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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland driving to the basket during the second half of his team's 128-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – The Cleveland Cavaliers, playing without their top scorer Donovan Mitchell, showed they are all about “team effort” as they matched the second-best start to a season in National Basketball Association (NBA) history, reaching 15-0 with a 128-114 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Mitchell took the night off on Nov 17 to rest after averaging 24.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Cavs during their perfect run.
Hosts Cavaliers, however, made up for his absence with a balanced attack as Darius Garland had 25 points and 12 assists, Ty Jerome added 24 points, Evan Mobley scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Jarrett Allen contributed 21 points and 15 rebounds.
“We’ve always got some fight in us no matter what,” Garland said.
“Everybody is ready to play. It doesn’t matter, one through 15. Everybody contributed. Everybody had a huge part in this win. That’s just us. Just as a team effort.”
Under new coach Kenny Atkinson, the Eastern Conference leaders had become the sixth team in NBA history to start 14-0.
Beating the Hornets made them only the fourth team in NBA history to open 15-0, matching the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and 1993-94 Houston Rockets for the second-best start. They now trail only the record 24-0 start by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.
The win streak is already the longest in the Cavaliers’ 55-year history, eclipsing three 13-win runs when LeBron James was with Cleveland.
Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball had 31 points and 12 assists in a losing cause. Next up for the Cavs, reigning champions the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Nov 19.
“It’s great for the NBA, right? It’s going to be a great test for us,” Atkinson told ESPN about the Boston clash.
“They obviously play a different style, five-out with five shooters, so it’s going to be a real good test for us. We’re at... 15-0 and let’s test ourselves against the best and see where we stand.”
Over at Paycom Centre, forward P.J. Washington scored 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks, playing without injured guard Luka Doncic, over hosts the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-119.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 36 points. He made a three-pointer, stole the ball from Kyrie Irving late on and hit a free throw but missed another and Luguentz Dort missed a three for the win at the buzzer.
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle sank a 25-foot three at the final buzzer at Target Centre to give the hosts a 120-117 victory over the Phoenix Suns, who were led by Devin Booker with a game-high 44 points.
Cade Cunningham had a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to spark the Detroit Pistons over the Washington Wizards 124-104 at Capital One Arena.
Over at the FedExForum, Nikola Jokic, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, was out again for personal reasons in the Denver Nuggets’ 105-90 road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, led by Jaren Jackson’s 20 points.
Myles Turner scored a season-high 34 points to help the Indiana Pacers overcome the Miami Heat 119-110 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tyler Herro scored 28 to lead the Heat.
Shaedon Sharpe stole the ball from the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young and sank two clinching free throws, the last of his game-high 32 points, with one second remaining to seal the Portland Trail Blazers’ 114-110 win at Moda Centre. Young led the Hawks with 29 points.
Centre Alperen Sengun had a triple double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and Fred VanVleet scored 28 points to lead the Houston Rockets’ 143-107 triumph over the Chicago Bulls at United Centre.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 15 rebounds in the New York Knicks’ 114-104 defeat of the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden.
The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the visiting Utah Jazz 116-105 as James Harden rose to second on the all-time NBA three-pointer list by hitting his 2,975th at Intuit Dome.
Ivica Zubac had 22 points to lead the Clippers, while Harden added 20 points and 11 assists.
Said Harden: “Just a testament to the amount of work that I’ve been putting in. As I get older and just chip away at an unbelievable career, (I) start to accomplish things like that. So I don’t ever want to take it for granted.” AFP
