Evan Mobley Scores 26, Cleveland Cavaliers Beat Charlotte Hornets 120-104

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The 43-27 Cleveland Cavaliers took on the 22-48 Charlotte Hornets for the second time in three days. They won both, this time by a score of 120-104.

The Cavs were without Jarrett Allen (eye contusion) for a second straight game and Donovan Mitchell, who sat to manage a finger sprain.

The Hornets had the same injury report as last game, except Kelly Oubre Jr returned to action.

Cleveland won the tipoff. The first quarter stayed tight throughout. The Hornets shot the ball well at 66.7%. The Cavs shot well from deep, going 5/9, and forced 5 turnovers.

Darius Garland scored the ball with ease in the first with 12 points. Caris LeVert added another 9. Oubre Jr showed why Charlotte missed him last game, scoring 12 points and leading the Hornets in the first quarter. 

The first quarter ended with the Cavs holding on to a slim lead, 30-27.

The turnover bug stayed with Charlotte early in the second. They were up to 11 turnovers just four minutes into the second quarter.

Cedi Osman played a huge role in the Cavs second quarter success. He hit two threes and scored 10 points in just 11 minutes. 

Evan Mobley had 14 points going into halftime and was a huge factor to Cleveland building a 63-48 lead. They kept the ball secure as well, only having one turnover in the half. 

Charlotte was struggling with turnovers and the three ball, shooting 2/11. The few bright spots in the half were 15 points from Oubre Jr, 13 from Terry Rozier and their work on the boards. They had 24 rebounds in the half against Cleveland’s 16. 

The first three minutes of the second half included 3 more Charlotte turnovers and 6 quick points from Evan Mobley. The Cavs now led by 19. 

The Cavs ended the third quarter with a 98-76 lead. Mobley, LeVert and Osman all looked explosive in the quarter. All three were over 20 points after the third. 

The Hornets shooting got slightly better in the quarter. The leading scorers remained the same in Rozier with 20 and Oubre Jr with 17.

The fourth quarter was a time for some backups to see action. Ricky Rubio scored 9 points to give him 11 on the day in the first few minutes.

Late in the fourth, a few Cavaliers made their debuts, including Dylan Windler and Sam Merrill. The reserves kept the lead as the Cavs won 120-104.

The players of the game for Cleveland were Evan Mobley, Caris LeVert and Cedi Osman. Mobley led Cav scorers with 26 points. LeVert scored 22 and Osman scored 24 off the bench.

The best players for the Hornets were Kelly Oubre Jr and Terry Rozier. Oubre led the game in scoring with 28 while Rozier had 22 and 10 assists. 

The Cavs will be back in action tomorrow against the 45-22 Philadelphia 76ers on ESPN.

Charlotte will get a few days of rest before they take on the 76ers on Friday.