Jeremy Lamb scored a season-high 19 points, and the host Charlotte Hornets rolled to an easy 126-94 victory over the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.
The Hornets were able to snap a nine-game losing streak to the Cavaliers and had lost 13 of 14 to Cleveland during LeBron James' second run with the team.
The Hornets led by as many as 13 in the first half but settled for a 59-52 halftime lead. Then came the deluge as Charlotte outscored Cleveland 34-21 in the third period for a 93-73 lead, and from there the lead increased to as many as 32 in the fourth quarter.
Kemba Walker added 18 points for the Hornets, and five others came off the bench to score in double figures. Malik Monk scored 16, Miles Bridges and Tony Parker 12 each, Willy Hernangomez 11 and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 10.
Walker came into the game averaging 29.1 points per game, third best in the NBA, but he has now settled for outings of 19, 21 and 18 in his last three games.
The Hornets had lost four of their previous six overall. They shot 56.5 percent from the field and were 10 of 30 from 3-point range while holding the Cavs to 43.2 percent shooting from the field.
The Cavs are now 1-2 since Larry Drew was named acting coach earlier in the week.
JR Smith led Cleveland with 14 points. Jordan Clarkson scored 13, and Sam Dekker and Kyle Korver chipped in 11 apiece.
The Cavs were missing Kevin Love for the fifth straight game with a foot injury as they opened a brief two-game road trip. They will play at Orlando on Monday.
The Hornets were playing the third game of a four-game homestand. They will host Atlanta on Tuesday before hitting the road for three straight.
--Field Level Media
Cleveland | Charlotte | |
JR Smith 14 | Scoring | Jeremy Lamb 19 |
George Hill 4 | Assists | Nicolas Batum 7 |
Tristan Thompson 7 | Rebounds | Nicolas Batum 8 |
David Nwaba 3 | Free Throws Made | Willy Hernangomez 3 |
Jordan Clarkson 3 | Steals | Nicolas Batum 1 |
Jordan Clarkson 1 | Blocks | Willy Hernangomez 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Cleveland | 94 | 43.2 | 10-26 | 14-15 | 22 | 26 | 2 | 10 | 15 |
Charlotte | 126 | 57.1 | 10-30 | 12-13 | 29 | 50 | 7 | 3 | 15 |