The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 116-102 on Saturday behind a historic performance by Evan Mobley.
Mobley went off in the first quarter, with 23 points in the opening 12 minutes, including five three-pointers. As a team, Cleveland dominated both ends of the floor early, outscoring Charlotte 40-18 in the first quarter. The Hornets responded with a strong second quarter, but Cleveland’s star power was too much to handle.
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Mobley finished the game with 41 points, ten rebounds and six 3PT made. He joins Kevin Durant as the only players under 25 to ever reach 40+ points, ten+ rebounds and six+ three-pointers in a single game. He also joins LeBron James as the only other Cavs players in franchise history to reach those numbers in a game.
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Still missing several key pieces including LaMelo Ball, the Hornets were shorthanded Saturday, but were led by Brandon Miller with 25 points and four rebounds.
Saturday marks Charlotte’s eighth loss in a row as they drop to 6-17 on the season. The Cavs have now won four in a row and sit atop the Eastern Conference with a record of 21-3.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
