Voltar
The Charlotte Hornets have finally given their fans something to celebrate. The Hornets got a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night at Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
Without Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Moussa Diabaté in action, the Hornets delivered one of their best offensive showings of the season in front of the home fans. They were up by as many as 33 points before Cleveland made it interesting in the fourth quarter.
The Hornets needed a win on Monday night. Here are three takeaways from their 124-112 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Monday was a much better shooting night for the Hornets. Prior to the game, the team was shooting a mere 28.8% from three-point land, the second-worst percentage in the league.
As for the Hornets' game against Cleveland, it was a completely different story. They were 23-of-46 from beyond the arc for 50%.
Naz Reid had 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Hornets, while Tidjane Salaün scored a season-high 14 points off the bench for Charlotte. Grayson Allen led the Hornets with 27 points, including six three-pointers. Ryan Kalkbrenner had 15 rebounds, 10 on the offensive glass, for Charlotte, which had 29 assists in the game.
It was just one game, but the Hornets had to see the ball go through the hoop on Monday night.
The Hornets were playing without Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Moussa Diabaté but got good production from the players who did play against Cleveland.
Reid gave Charlotte a strong presence inside, while Salaün provided a boost off the bench. Kalkbrenner also made a difference with his work on the offensive glass, giving the Hornets extra possessions when they needed them.
That was especially true in the fourth quarter when the Hornets were clinging to a lead and the Cavaliers were making a push to get back into the game.
With the Hornets playing with a depleted roster on most nights, getting production from a number of different players is going to be key for them in the long run.
The Hornets did a lot of things right on Monday, but finishing games is still a major problem for this team.
The Hornets led by as many as 33 points in the third quarter but allowed the Cavaliers to cut the lead to eight with less than four minutes remaining in the game.
The Hornets scored just 17 points in the fourth quarter after scoring 40 in the second and 38 in the third. That is a drastic drop-off for a team that seemed to be scoring at will earlier in the game.
While the Hornets were able to hold on for the win against a very talented Cleveland team, there are still plenty of things that Charles Lee and the Hornets can work on.
Charlotte needed a win against a very talented Cleveland team on Monday night. Now they must look to build upon that win but not make things any more difficult for themselves than they already are.