Field Level Media
Oct 22, 2021
Miles Bridges scored 30 points and the Charlotte Hornets used a dominating stretch at the beginning of the fourth quarter to run away with a 123-112 victory against the host Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 10 of his 25 points in the first quarter off the bench for the Hornets, who have opened the season with consecutive wins.
Charlotte's Gordon Hayward provided 18 points, LaMelo Ball had 17 points and Cody Martin added 10 points. Guard Terry Rozier, who missed the opener due to an ankle injury, was in the starting lineup for the Hornets and contributed six points and two assists. Mason Plumlee grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
Bridges shot 13-for-24 from the field, making 4 of 9 3-point attempts.
The Hornets began the fourth quarter on a 10-2 surge, with Bridges and Hayward draining 3-pointers to cap the spree that took less than two minutes and resulted in a Cleveland timeout. The Cavaliers committed two turnovers during that stretch.
The momentum continued with Charlotte posting the next nine points. The Cavaliers' only points in the first 4:25 of the fourth quarter came on an Evan Mobley dunk, allowing the Hornets to build a 109-91 lead.
Collin Sexton's 33 points led the Cavaliers, who were playing their home opener. Ricky Rubio had 15 points and 10 assists, and Mobley and Lauri Markkanen each had 13 points.
Cleveland's Jarrett Allen, who shot 11-for-11 from the field in the opener at Memphis, missed his first shot Friday but then connected on his other five attempts in an 11-point outing.
The third quarter went back and forth, with the lead changing hands nine times. It was nothing like the game-changing, 24-0 burst that Charlotte produced in its opener against the Indiana Pacers, but the Hornets managed to take a 90-89 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers held a 59-52 lead at halftime.
Sexton scored eight points in the first 4 1/2 minutes of the second quarter as Cleveland grabbed a 49-38 lead. He ended up with 17 points in the half.
The Cavaliers had 17 assists on 21 field goals in the opening half.
Both teams shot well on the night, with Charlotte hitting 52.7 percent from the floor and Cleveland making 51.2 percent.
--Field Level Media