Charlotte Hornets drop fifth straight, Lose to LeBron and Cavs, 115-107

LeBron James continues to dominate the Charlotte Hornets as the Queen City team’s problems pile up with a loss to Cleveland.

The Charlotte Hornets (5-8) were defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers (8-7) as they dropped their fifth straight game. Despite having Nicolas Batum back and a breakout game from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the Hornets weren’t able to overcome LeBron James who led the reigning Eastern Conference champions. Things didn’t go as planned for Charlotte who debuted their throwback uniforms on national TV.

Nicolas Batum made his season debut after missing the first 12 games with a torn ligament in his left elbow. He was on a minutes restriction and was expected to be limited to about 20-23 minutes but ended up playing 32 minutes. Julyan Stone (strained hamstring) and Treveon Graham (right quad contusion) were both on the inactive list.

Game Story

This was a back and forth game that featured 15 lead changes and 10 ties. Charlotte took a surprising six-point lead into halftime after a strong second quarter behind the electric play of Nicolas Batum. The Hornets followed up a strong first half by only scoring 17 points in the third. They were eventually outscored 54-40 in the second half. The home team’s poor play down the stretch led them to not only relinquish their lead but ultimately lose the game in the end.

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Player of the Game

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had his best game of the season as he led scored a team-high 22 points on 10-14 shooting from the field. He also recorded six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. MKG hit multiple midrange jumpers and it may be the sign of him finally turning the corner with his outside shot.

Kemba Walker added 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds while Nic Batum put up 16 points, six assists and five boards in his season debut. Jeremy Lamb scored 13 points as he returned to the bench and led the second unit. Dwight Howard was held to only eight points and five rebounds as he fouled out in only 23 minutes.

LeBron led Cleveland as he dropped a game-high 31 points. He also dished out eight assists while grabbing six boards. Kevin Love recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds while Jeff Green chipped in with 13 points and seven boards off of the bench. Kyle Korver (11) and J.R. Smith (10) rounded out the Cavaliers’ double-figure scorers.

Highlight of the Night:

Tweet of the Game:

"Quick Stings"

• Charlotte outscored Cleveland, 58-50 in points in the paint.
• The Cavs out-rebounded the Hornets, 51-42.
• Kemba recorded his ninth 20-point game of the season.
• Charlotte struggled from deep as they only shot 23.1% (6-26) from the three-point line.
• The Cavaliers’ bench outscored the Hornets’ second unit, 40-32.

With the loss, the Hornets fall to 0-1 in their season series versus the Cavs. LeBron is now 44-6 against Charlotte in his career and 24-1 since 2010. They will have two more chances to beat James this year with their next matchup coming on November 24th in Cleveland.

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In their next outing, the Charlotte Hornets will travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bulls on Friday, November 17th. It will be the first meeting between the two sides this season. Steve Clifford’s side will look to snap their five-game losing streak against a lowly Bulls team who are last in the Eastern Conference.