Cavs Top 3: Cavaliers swat away the Hornets in back-to-back rematch

The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to defeat the Charlotte Hornets in back-to-back contests.

Down Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell for the night, the Cleveland Cavaliers did everything right against the Charlotte Hornets. The Cavs shot great from inside and outside of the arc. They played great perimeter defense and got huge contributing minutes from Cedi Osman, Ricky Rubio, and Dean Wade off the bench. While the names like Darius Garland and Caris LeVert shouldered a lot of the offensive load, we’d be remiss not pointing out the best combo on the night.

Having Lamar Stevens and Isaac Okoro on the perimeter for a majority of the night allowed the Cavs to really haunt the Hornets’ attempts at getting their three-point shot to fall, hitting just six of 23. It didn’t hurt the Cavs at all that LaMelo Ball continues to be out of action, and that Gordon Hayward was out of rhythm all game, both from the Cavs’ defensive pressure and the Hornets’ players just not getting him the ball enough times.

The Cavs as a whole were just merciless against the Hornets, winning 120-104, getting an easy win that saw them move to 44-27 on the season. With just 11 games left in the regular season, the Cavs are three games out of third in the East and three games up on the Knicks for fourth.

They have a huge test against the 76ers on Wednesday night, and a win there could help them move up in the conference. Bolstered by that is the fact that the Cavs have seven of their final 11 games against sub-.500 teams.

The only teams they have to face who have a winning record are the 76ers on Wednesday, two away games against the limping Brooklyn Nets, and a final home contest against the New York Knicks.

The Cavs have a realistic chance of finishing with more than 50 wins this season.

Cleveland Cavaliers Top 3 vs. the Charlotte Hornets

1 Point – Evan Moblley

31 minutes, 26 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, +14 BPM

2 Points – Cedi Osman

31 minutes, 24 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, +11 BPM

3 Points – Caris LeVert

27 minutes, 22 points, 7 assists, 4 steals +25 BPM

Cavs Top 3 Seasonal Standings

1. Darius Garland – 84 Points
2. Donovan Mitchell –76 Points
3. Evan Mobley – 57 points
4. Jarrett Allen – 49 points
5. Cedi Osman –  39 points
6. Caris LeVert – 24 Points
7. Isaac Okoro & Kevin Love – 20 Points
8. Ricky Rubio – 5 points
9. Raul Neto & Dean Wade – 4 Points
10. Lamar Stevens – 3 points