Cavs 121 Hornets 114
The Cavs survived Terry Rozier going supernova with 42 points. Gordon Hayward also had a big game in his Hornets debut, going for 28/7/4 on 61% from the field. LaMelo Ball, the third pick in this year’s draft, pitched a shutout, going 0-5 from the field in 16 minutes of game time.
On the Cavs’ side, they had the exact sort of game I hope to see from them most nights:
- 7 players in double figures [Nance, Drummond, Sexton, Garland, Okoro, Osman, McGee]
- Sexton and Garland combined for 49/11/8 on 55% from the field, both over 50% from deep.
- 34 assists, with every starter having at least 4.
Sexton was our offensive pace-setter, but everyone was aggressive on their touches, with multiple players using the threat of the longball to get all the way to the rim for monster dunks. Larry Nance Jr. was dynamic, dropping a 13/8/13 stat line. The Cavs won’t shoot 46% from deep every night, but they won’t be up against a pair of teammates dropping 70 points, either. Isaac Okoro started his Rookie of the Year campaign with an 11/5/3 stat line on 4-of-5 from the field and 1-2 from long range.
Full Game Highlights:
Around the League:
Spurs win, but Ja Morant drops 44, gets nasty:
Houston’s lack of players leads to cancelation:
Giannis misses potential game-tying free throw with 0.4 seconds on the clock after Tatum hits dagger in his eye: