Cavs Top 3: Collin Sexton soars while the rest get stung in Hornets loss

Collin Sexton rebound against the Hornets after a disappointing season debut.

The Cavs fell to the Hornets 123-112 in a game that got away from them after halftime. The Cavaliers were able to play strong ball against the Hornets riding Collin Sexton to easy points while LaMelo Ball and Jarrett Allen missed a lot of time due to fouls that they had accumulated early in the game.

Allen and Ball both were back in the lineup for the second half but Allen didn’t make the same impact as Ball did and the missteps that the Hornets had were all but a thing of the past. The Cavs couldn’t keep pace and the team’s defense failed time and time again.

The Cavs fall to 0-2 with their next game against the Hawks on Saturday night. Until tip-off, let’s see who disappointed and who impressed in the Hornets game.

The Bottom Three Performers Were

1. Jarrett Allen
2. Isaac Okoro
3. Kevin Love

Reminder, the bottom three performers go in reverse order with No. 3 being the least and No. 1 being the most egregious of the three. Love had a great first half rebounding the ball, racking up 11 in a short span but then didn’t contribute at all in the second half. He had another four-assist performance but he’s still struggling to shoot threes.

Isaac Okoro gets the second spot due to the fact he’s the “defensive guy” and gets beat routinely defensively. The Hornets aren’t bummed by any means but they aren’t world-beaters either. Okoro has to play better.

Jarrett Allen gets the top slot because the Cavs aren’t rebounding and since he’s the $25 million man, he can’t have days where he gets four or five rebounds and makes no impact against the opposing team’s interior offense.

The Top Three Performers Were

1. Lauri Markkanen
2. Ricky Rubio
3. Collin Sexton

Unlike the negative, the order is reversed with the No. 1 spot having the least impressive outing and the top spot having the most impressive.

Lauri Markkanen is playing out of position but he’s starting to find his stroke. While he may be a bit overpaid, as soon as the Cavs figure out their wing issues, he may actually be someone worth talking about as a top guy on the team.

You can’t deny the offense looked better with Ricky Rubio running point for most of the game. He absolutely carried the offense for some spells in the first half. Poor shooting and bad defense sunk the team in the second half. It’s very similar to last season.

Lastly, getting three points is Collin Sexton. He dropped 33 points on the night and a lot of it was in transition, which is great to see, mostly because it means the defense did the job.

"Yearly Standing:1. Tie: Jarrett Allen/Collin Sexton (3 points apiece)2. TIe: Ricky Rubio/Evan Mobley (2 points apiece)3. Lauri Markkanen/Cedi Osman (1 point apiece)"