The Charlotte Hornets utilized all 11 players available to them to give the league best Cleveland Cavaliers a good fight in a loss.

The summary

The Hornets got blitzed off the opening tipoff. Evan Mobley, who is an okay but far from elite 3-point shooter, turned into an elite 3-point shooter on Saturday afternoon. He hit all five of his first quarter 3-point attempts, and I don’t think any of them even thought about touching the rim. He added a few dunks to get him to 23 points in the first 12 minutes. The Hornets as a team struggled to 18 points with some very slow and labored offense. It looked like the game would be a laugher with the Hornets down 40-18 after one quarter.

DaQuan Jeffries hit a pair of quick threes to get the Hornets going in the second period. Mark Williams followed that with five inside buckets in rapid succession, a couple of which were fed to him by Vasa Micic. Cody Martin and Josh Green blocked some shots and deflected passes on the other end to help the Hornets chip away at the Cavs lead, and a Brandon Miller three cut that lead to single figures. The Hornets were within 11 by halftime.

The teams went back and forth for the entire third quarter with very balanced scoring by both sides. The Hornets hung tough even with a couple of minutes of DaQuan Jeffries at center. It was a lineup that featured Jeffries, Josh Green, Isaiah Wong, Nick Smith Jr., and KJ Simpson. Wong stepped up and helped spur a little run on his own with free throws, a fast break dunk, and an and-1. The tiny Hornets got their hands all over passes and dribbles and caused mayhem against a Cavs lineup that featured several of their regulars. Donovan Mitchell stepped up to quell the run and kept the Cavs’ lead at ten heading into the fourth quarter.

The Hornets kept attacking the paint to start the fourth quarter and kept the game within single digits for a lot of the final frame. The Cavs were clearly frustrated with the pesky play of the Hornets, as they got called for a couple of technical fouls over the course of the game’s final twelve minutes. The latest one came from Darius Garland running away with the ball to delay Brandon Miller free throws. He hit all three of ensuing free throws to bring the Hornets within four with five minutes to play. It was at that moment that the gas tank ran out. They missed a couple of wide open threes that would have made it a one possession game. The Cavs’ now motivated closers strung together enough buckets to put the game out of reach.

The Good

Mark Williams is still getting very limited minutes, but his second quarter was a reminder of what he can be. He’s got velcro hands that trap every ball that falls into his vicinity. He’s a huge target around the rim for ball handlers to throw lobs up to. The Cavs had absolutely no answer for him in his five second quarter minutes.

I thought DaQuan Jeffries was just salary filler when the Hornets acquired him. I didn’t think he was in any part of their plans, but the Hornets seem to like what he’s brough to the table. He’s very aggressive, maybe to a fault at points, but he’s the kind of player the Hornets want. He was second on the team in scoring with 17 points. He’s good wing depth.

Isaiah Wong made his debut and had a real nice outing. He got up in the shirt of Donovan Mitchell in the Cavs last possession of the first half but was unlucky that Mitchell made the shot anyway. His on ball defense stood out on a number of possessions, and he made an impact on the offensive end as well. He got to the basket and earned himself five free throws. He even got to show off the bunnies with a steal and slam late in the third quarter.

Josh Green was very inactive inside the arc by his standards. He bullied his way to the basket when he got favorable matchups. It helped him to a solid 16 point outing.

The Bad

There wasn’t really anyone or anything that stood out as poor relative to expectations. The Hornets were playing with seven players out due to injury/illness against the best team in the NBA. Even playing the smallest of ball at points, the Hornets pushed the Cavs for most of four quarters. No notes.

What’s NexT

The Hornets take a redeye up to Indianapolis to take on the Pacers for an early evening tilt.