The Charlotte Hornets lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 102-101, Friday, in a close, but controversial finish.
The Hornets could not contain Cavs’ big man Jarrett Allen, allowing him to score the team’s first nine points and single handedly out rebounded the Hornets in the first quarter. The Hornets struggled to convert easy baskets on the inside over Cleveland’s tall trees, but they got a few in transition, as they took an early lead, 11-9. The Hornets went on a mini-spurt near the four minute mark. PJ Washington came off the bench and did an adequate job defending Allen in the low post. At the end of the quarter, the Hornets led by nine, 31-22.
The teams made a couple of field goals to start the second quarter and then there was a lid on the basket for both teams. Mid-way through the quarter, the Cavs had a scare when Allen and Gordon Hayward bumped knees and an offensive foul was called on Hayward.
The lead that the Hornets built was much needed as they missed ten straight field goal attempts, with a couple of turnovers mixed in. LaMelo Ball put an end to the drought with two three-pointers. The Cavs doubled up the Hornets in scoring in the quarter, 30-15 to take a 52-46 lead at the half.
Charlotte started the third quarter with poor defense, letting the Cavs get anything they wanted in the paint and missing their own easy looks at the rim. A brief Hornets run was followed by another prolonged cold snap, which saw the Cavs take a 70-56 lead halfway through the quarter. The Hornets could not find their offensive flow and scored less than 20 points for the second consecutive quarter. They trailed by 11 going into the final quarter, 76-65.
Ball got into foul trouble early on in the fourth quarter. He fouled Kevin Love shooting a three on the Cavs first possession. He then charged into Love and collected his fifth personal foul. The Cavs led by as many as 17 points, but a few outside shots brought the Hornets back to within striking distance.
Things got controversial when Terry Rozier attempted a shot from downtown and Cavs Ed Davis, who was on the bench, interfered by swatting Rozier’s arm with 4:44 left in the game. He thought the play was over and whistles had blown after Dean Wade stepped out of bounds. The officials huddled together and awarded Rozier three points and charged Davis with a technical foul. Rozier made the free throws, slicing the Cavs lead to six.
Crew chief Brian Forte said via a pool report after the game that officials made a mistake, and Rozier’s shot should not have counted.
“It was miscommunication amongst the crew about the sequence of the play,” Forte said. “Upon review after the game, the out of bounds was called prior to the start of the field goal attempt and the shot should not have counted.”
An Allen three point play put the Cavs back up by six with two minutes to play. The Hornets converted on three shots from the great beyond, to turn a six point deficit into a three point lead. Allen made a layup and the Hornets could not respond.
Hayward was essentially tackled trying to get a loose ball, but the refs swallowed their whistles. On the other end, the Cavs missed a potential game winner by Brandon Goodwin, but Love was fouled trying to grab the rebound. He was given a shooting foul and made both of his free throws. The Hornets tried a last second lob attempt to Miles Bridges, but he could not overcome contact by Allen and the game was over.
“Our guys kept battling and gave ourselves a chance to win the game,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “We kept battling. A lot of emotions out there in a tight game and I thought our guys battled until the last whistle there.”
Allen had a career-high 29 points and 22 boards for the Cavs. Love finished with 25 points, scoring 22 of them in the second half. He also had nine rebounds and one assist. Goodwin added 12 points, five boards and nine dimes.
“He’s Kevin Love. There was no doubt in our mind that when he was going to the free-throw line, he was going to make them both,” Cavaliers coach B.J. Bickerstaff said. “There’s no situation that he hasn’t seen. There’s no pressure-filled moment that he hasn’t been in.”
Rozier had a team-high 24 points for the Hornets. He also had three boards and four assists. KellyOubre Jr. contributed 21 points, nine boards and one assist. Ball had 15 points, six boards and three assists. Bridges had 12 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
The Cavaliers host Caris LeVert and the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. The Hornets host Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in the second game of a back to back on Saturday.
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