Cavaliers snap losing streak with 139-132 win over Hornets

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and De’Andre Hunter had 15 of his 27 in the second half, powering the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 139-132 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.

Darius Garland added 27 points and 10 assists for Cleveland, which pulled away in the second half to snap a three-game losing streak. The Cavaliers also had lost three straight at home and are 2-5 at Rocket Arena since Nov. 30.

LaMelo Ball led Charlotte with 23 points and nine assists, making six 3-pointers. Rookie Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller each had 20 points, while Moussa Diabate grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds.

Hunter gave the Cavaliers a big boost early in the third quarter, remaining on the court after being bloodied by a flagrant foul to his face by Diabate. He made both free throws, then a 3-pointer on the subsequent possession to push their lead to 98-85.

Dean Wade chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds for Cleveland, which took its largest advantage at 131-112. Lonzo Ball had six points and seven assists in the middle contest of a three-game homestand that precedes the Cavaliers’ Christmas Day game at New York.

Mitchell ended the first half by banking in a 28-footer at the horn, giving him 18 points and the Cavaliers a 70-63 advantage. Garland scored 17 points, while Knueppel and Ball each had 15 for Charlotte.

There were 12 lead changes and 10 ties before intermission, but neither team went up by double digits.

CELTICS 103, PACERS 95

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 14 of his game-high 31 points in the final quarter and Boston rallied from a 20-point, second-half deficit for a victory over Indiana.

Derrick White finished with 19 points, and Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons each had 11 for Boston, which won its third straight game.

Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 25 points, and Andrew Nembhard had 20. Indiana, the NBA’s worst 3-point shooting team, missed 19 of its 20 attempts from beyond the arc in the second half in its fifth straight loss.

Brown’s best shot in the final quarter came on an off-balance 3 right in front of Boston’s bench, pushing the Celtics ahead 96-91 with 2:25 to play.

Nembhard’s 3-point play with 3:49 left had tied it at 91.

Trailing 82-74 entering the fourth, Boston went on an 11-2 spree, taking its first lead since the first half on Brown’s reverse layup.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters early in the second half with the Pacers up 69-49.

The Celtics whittled the Pacers’ edge to eight points after three. Brown and White reentered with a minute left in the third quarter.

PELICANS 119, MAVERICKS 113

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson scored 24 points, including 10 straight in a decisive two-minute span of the fourth quarter, to power New Orleans to a victory over Dallas, extending the Pelicans’ season-long winning streak to five games.

The Pelicans, who started the season 3-22, have posted their longest winning streak since 2022.

New Orleans erased an 87-79 deficit after three quarters with a 38-19 run in the first 10:24 of the final quarter.

With New Orleans leading 105-103, Williamson scored on five of the Pelican’s next six possessions, four of them on strong drives to the basket from the right side, to put the Pelicans up 117-106 with 1:37 left.

The Mavericks were led by Anthony Davis’ season-high 35 points. They scored seven straight points to cut the New Orleans lead to 117-113 with 18.1 seconds left, but Trey Murphy III iced the game for the Pelicans with two free throws with 10.4 seconds remaining.

Derik Queen had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans, and Saddiq Bey added 19 points and seven rebounds.

NUGGETS 135, JAZZ 112

DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray and Denver raced out to a 19-0 lead in the opening four minutes and tied a franchise record for 3-pointers with 24, cruising to a victory over Utah.

It was the second time in 17 days that Utah got down big before hitting a shot or a free throw. The New York Knicks led the Jazz 23-0 on their way to a 146-112 win on Dec. 5.

The biggest run to open an NBA game was 29-0 by the Los Angeles Lakers against Sacramento on Feb. 4, 1987.

Denver shot 68.2% in the first quarter and made 15 of 28 from 3-point range in the first half, five by Murray. He scored 27 points and Cameron Johnson went 6 of 6 from deep to finish with 20.

Nikola Jokic had 14 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists, and Peyton Watson scored 20 after missing two games.

Jokic got his 14th triple-double of the season and 178th of his career when he fed Watson for a layup with 7:10 left in the third quarter.

Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and Keyonte George scored 20 for Utah, which has dropped three straight.

The Associated Press

Cavaliers snap losing streak with 139-132 win over Hornets

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