The Cavaliers got a jolt from an unexpected place in the fourth quarter, but it came after the damage was already done.
Cleveland fell behind by as many as 33 points against a Hornets team missing three starters, and that ugly stretch is going to hang over the night no matter how lively the finish looked. The Cavs were out there with their full starting five, yet they still let a 3-7 opponent that averages 96 points per game get to 100 points in the first 33 minutes. That’s the kind of problem that doesn’t disappear just because the final frame got interesting.
Then Kenny Atkinson turned to a group of reserves to open the fourth quarter, and they immediately made things uncomfortable for Charlotte. Craig Porter Jr., Riley Minix, Meleek Thomas, Norchad Omier, and Thomas Bryant sparked a 12-3 burst that forced a Hornets timeout, and the run grew to 19-6 overall. Cleveland kept chipping away from there, trimming the deficit to eight with a few minutes left and turning what looked like a dead game into something at least worth watching.
Porter delivered what was easily his best stretch of the season, especially as a playmaker. Thomas, the talented second-round rookie, showed for the first time that he can steer a group.
Bryant also flashed the kind of steady production he’s built his reputation on over a long NBA career. It was a mix of two-way players, veterans, and a rookie who’s expected to matter now, and for one quarter they gave Cleveland life.
Still, the comeback only changed the feel of the final minutes. It didn’t erase the mess that came before it.
There are going to be consequences for a loss like this, and the pressure around Atkinson is only going to rise. A starting lineup change would seem to be the obvious place to look, even with James Harden on a guaranteed three-year deal and the risk of straining that relationship by sending him to the bench. But the fit alongside Donovan Mitchell has not been working, and that appears to be the move most likely to get serious consideration.
Meleek Thomas already looks good enough to start in this league, and Cleveland has also missed the connectors that Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson usually provide while they remain out. The bench and end-of-bench group deserves credit for making the game watchable, but by then the Cavs had already dug too deep a hole.
Cleveland is now 5-6 and heads into a rematch at MSG on Wednesday.
In Other News...
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Cavaliers Core Just Raised The Pressure On Clevelands Finals Window
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Cleveland still has some room to maneuver, but not much, and the clock is already ticking on the window this group is supposed to justify. The front office has assembled a high-cost core with the expectation that it can contend right away, and the pressure only grows as future contract decisions come into view. If the Cavaliers are going to keep this group together and keep adding around it, the payoff has to come sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]