Hornets vs. Cavaliers: The good, the bad and the LaMelo Ball
The Hornets opened the season with a loss on the road against Cleveland on Wednesday, 121-114.
After a fairly competitive first quarter into the start of the second period, the Cavaliers shot away by halftime, turning a four-point lead into a 21-point halftime advantage. From there, Cleveland did not slow down in the second half offensively, never allowing the Hornets to get close.
Terry Rozier set his career-high in points, pouring in 42 points with the majority of those coming in the second half and the fourth quarter specifically. Gordon Hayward added 28 points and Bismack Biyombo and Devonte’ Graham were the lone other players in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively.
Cleveland’s backcourt of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland combined for 49 points in the win.
The Good - Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward
Largely the only reason the Hornets were in the game in the second half was because of Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier. While few others could score on the night, that duo was on fire. Rozier set a career-high on the night with nine three-pointers and was blistering for much of the evening, finishing 15-of-23 from the field and 10-of-16 from range. Hayward was similarly efficient on the night, hitting 11-of-18 from the field and 4-of-8 from range. Combined, the two had 26 of Charlotte's 45 field goals. Honorable mentions - The fourth quarter fight
The Bad - Second half of second quarter
After cutting the lead down to 44-40 at the 5:35 mark of the second quarter following a Hayward bucket, the Cavaliers exploded. By halftime, the advantage was 65-44 for Cleveland as they finished the half on a 21-4 run. The most concerning aspect of the Cavaliers' run was how easily they were able to score. Charlotte, a team that struggled defensively last year, saw many of those struggles return as Cleveland knocked down open shots at the rim and behind the arc. Honorable mentions - Defense, rebounding
The Ball - Another rough debut
Much like his preseason debut, LaMelo Ball struggled on Wednesday. Unlike his debut in the exhibition contests, Ball didn't have any bright moments to lean on. In 16 minutes, Ball finished with zero points, three assists, two steals, three turnovers and two fouls. Ball did not play in the fourth quarter, partially due to the Hornets' comeback attempt and partially due to his struggles on the night.
