New clash with a direct opponent in the race for the playoffs for the Hornets, who welcomed the Cavaliers in order to revive after their two defeats in a row.
Except that Jarrett Allen (29 points, 22 rebounds!) and his teammates obviously had other projects in mind. And it was ultimately this valiant Cleveland team that managed to get the upper hand over Charlotte (102-101), after a “money-time” of madness.
Because, to win despite the absence of their neo-All-Star Darius Garland, the Cavs needed Kevin Love (25 points, 9 rebounds) to plant two capital free throws, 1.2 seconds from the end. Enough to beat Terry Rozier (24 points), Kelly Oubre Jr. (21 points, 9 rebounds) and company at the post, who (re)started playing much too late to hope for another result.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Monstrous Jarrett Allen. Perfectly supported by Kevin Love, the one who has just learned that he will not be All-Star this year (while waiting for Kevin Durant’s replacement to be appointed) obviously had a message to convey tonight. What’s more, facing LaMelo Ball, his main competitor to recover the spot of “KD”. Untenable under the panels, the pivot of the Cavs thus made the song all evening long to the poor interiors of the Hornets, unable to contain him on the offensive rebound (11 takes!) and when he received the ball near the paint. An XXL performance, to guide Cleveland.
— Waking up too late for Charlotte. After having existed in the first act (won 31-22), the Hornets were gradually caught up and then dominated by these Cavaliers, however weakened. Out of the game and accumulating the bricks in the next two quarters, James Borrego’s men finally found their game in the last eight minutes, to iNFLict a 29-13 on Cleveland. Except that Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr, the main instigators of their team’s comeback, saw all their efforts reduced to nothing by Kevin Love’s two killer free throws…
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Kevin Love. When it was not Jarrett Allen, it was his replacement who martyred the Hornets. Especially in the second half. Starting with this third quarter during which the 2016 champion planted 11 points, with three baskets at 3-pts, so as to repel the attacks of Charlotte, who was trying to pick up the score. In the final act, the former All-Star interior continued his momentum, lining up three new award-winning successes, to exceed the 20-point mark. And to complete his card off the bench, Love made the free throws of the victory, after scraping a decisive offensive rebound.
✅ Brandon Goodwin. Waste (4/14 on shots and 5 bullet losses), certainly, but a good general contribution (12 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals) from the one who replaces Darius Garland in the starting five of the Riders. In particular at the end of the second quarter, to give orders to his team with 3-point baskets, with Dean Wade. Then in the last act, when the point guard fed his outside shooters or hit the mark behind the arc when the Cavs were short on points in the big ” run of the Hornets.
✅ Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr.. While LaMelo Ball, hampered by fouls and increasingly erased as the game went on, missed his game overall, the Hornets relied on their pair Rozier – Oubre Jr. to try to come away with the victory . In the last quarter, the two players did everything possible to bring their team back into contact, after it was dropped at 15 points (87-72). With 3-pointers, assists and baskets inside, Rozier and Oubre Jr. ignited the Spectrum Center and shook all of Cleveland. But the Cavs held on…
⛔ Gordon Hayward. Certainly full of good will, the Hornets winger ate the leaf last night, for his return to competition after a period of isolation. Particularly clumsy (3/13 on shots), Hayward probably illustrated better than anyone the failure of his team to shoot, in the second and third quarters. Because, except in the first and at the end of the last, Charlotte watered for a long time (41% on arrival), against this well-placed Cleveland defense.
⛔ Cedi Osman. Small game for the Turkish winger last night (5 points, 2/8 on shots, in 15 minutes), still starting with the Cavs in the absence of Lauri Markkanen, but who was gradually overtaken in the rotation by a more inspired and threatening Dean Wade on the shot (8 points, 2/3 to 3-pts). In addition to showing great solidity in defense. A setback for Osman, who nevertheless remained on four interesting matches, sometimes in scoring, sometimes in the pass (nearly 14 points and 5 assists on average), before missing his meeting in Charlotte, therefore.
NOT TOUCH THE ROZIER
Strange sequence in the last quarter, in full ” run of the Hornets, when the locals saw an attempt at 3-pts from Terry Rozier being granted because… Ed Davis, however nailed to the bench, voluntarily touched the back of Charlotte!
“Voluntarily”, because the substitute interior of the Cavaliers obviously wanted to prevent his opponent from shooting after a whistle from the referees, for a sideline exit from Dean Wade.
Except that one of the three members of the refereeing body did not understand that the game had been stopped by his colleague and he therefore gave Ed Davis a technical foul after the fact, in addition to making Terry Rozier’s attempt valid!
To the chagrin of the Cleveland bench, who felt cheated and who probably still did not understand this choice, surprising to say the least…
THE FOLLOWING
Charlotte (28-25) : “back-to-back” against Miami, this Saturday evening (01:00).
Cleveland (32-21) : reception of Indiana, on the night of Sunday to Monday (00:00).
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
