CLEVELAND — For whatever reason, an elbow to De’Andre Hunter’s face did the trick for the Cavaliers wing whose funk this season has been emblematic of his team.
Hunter scored 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field (4 of 5 on 3-pointers) and compiled five rebounds, an assist and a steal in 26 minutes off the bench to help the Cavs defeat the Charlotte Hornets 139-132 on Dec. 22 and thereby snap a three-game losing streak.
One of Hunter’s best outings of the season occurred on a night when he briefly left the court with 3:12 remaining in the third quarter after Hornets forward Moussa Diabate elbowed him in the face. Accompanied by medical personnel, Hunter walked to the home team’s locker room at Rocket Arena with a bloody nose, but he resurfaced after a replay review during which the officiating crew upgraded Diabate’s foul to a Flagrant 1.
De’Andre Hunter’s Cavs teammates were amused by his performance after elbow to face caused a bloody nose
Hunter proceeded to make two foul shots — he finished 5-of-5 shooting from the free-throw line — and, with the Cavs retaining possession, a 3-pointer on an assist from point guard Lonzo Ball. Hunter’s five quick points gave the Cavs a 98-85 advantage with 2:54 remaining in the third quarter.
“He got his whole nose knocked off today, came back in and had a great second half, so that’s just one example of what he does,” Cavs point guard Darius Garland said. “I mean, he’s a big spark for us whenever he’s going like that on both sides of the ball. So, it’s really good to see him with some confidence and playing really well.”
Back from an illness, Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell interrupted Hunter’s on-court interview with Peacock moments after the victory and quipped, “All he needed was to get hit in the f****** face!”
In the locker room, Hunter joked about he moment by saying, “Don always makes it about himself. You know what I mean?” Hunter added, “Everyone’s close [on this team], everyone talks and when you have that vibe, you can joke, you can play with each other and I think having that connection in the locker room translates to the court.”
Cavs point guard Darius Garland plans to play on second night of back-to-back vs. Pelicans
The Cavs (16-14) have been plagued by injuries this season, as evidenced by the 16 starting lineup combinations they have used, but the team also has just flat out underperformed.
Cleveland recently received some good news on the injury front, though. Guard Sam Merrill returned from a 14-game absence caused by a sprained right hand and logged 26 minutes against the Hornets. Meanwhile, Garland continued to look increasingly like himself coming off toe surgery in June. Garland said he plans to play on consecutive days for the first time this season when the Cavs host the New Orleans Pelicans (8-22) on Dec. 23.
Hunter has been among the Cavs players who have struggled this season, yet, in his case, all indications are injuries haven’t been a significant factor. He has appeared in 26 games, missing the first two with a knee contusion suffered in the preseason, sitting out one with an illness and resting during another.
What’s been the problem then? Hunter stated he has been in a “shooting slump.” He and the Cavs hope his 27-point outburst, which included 15 points in the second half, will prove to be a springboard to a meaningful turnaround.
“He was really good, especially after he got hit in the nose,” Garland said. “He turned it up a little bit in the second half. So, yeah, his confidence went sky high after that. Him just playing with no thought, man, just going out there just being a hooper as he is, it’s really good to see.”
Mitchell scored a game-high 30 points and Garland added 27. Mitchell, Garland and Hunter became the fourth trio in Cavs history and the first since 2002 to score 27-plus points in the same game, according to the team.
Hunter looked as if he might be done for the night while he held a towel against his face and entered the tunnel leading to Cleveland’s locker room. By rule, if Hunter didn’t return to shoot the foul shots, he would not have been permitted to reenter the action, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson explained. Hunter said someone with the Cavs informed him of the stipulation in the locker room, prompting him to return to the court in a hurry.
“He miraculously recovered,” Atkinson said with a laugh. “What better incentive than that? His arm could be falling off, and he probably would have come back and shot them with the other arm.”
De’Andre Hunter and Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson discuss move from starting lineup to bench
Hunter was determined to show his toughness.
“I was in a lot of pain,” he said. “I ain’t going to lie, but I wanted to get back in. I knew if [my nose] wasn’t broken or anything, I could get back in as long as they stopped the bleeding.”
The Cavs need Hunter, especially the version the Hornets encountered. This past offseason, Atkinson asked Hunter if he wanted to start, and Hunter said he did. However, Hunter has come off the bench in each of the past three games after another discussion with Atkinson.
“It’s huge that he has the respect to come to me to ask how I feel about it,” Hunter said. “I think that’s big, and it’s kind of a mutual agreement. We both kind of felt the same, and here we are.
“Just going off the results, I mean, it wasn’t looking too great [when I was starting]. It wasn’t working too great. The numbers said it wasn’t working great, so [it was time to] try to look for a different outcome.”
After the Cavs lost to the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 19, Atkinson said Hunter was “probably at a C level.” Atkinson added, “He should be at an A level. I put most of that on my shoulders.” Atkinson said he wanted to see how Hunter moving back to the bench would play out.
Hunter entered the win over the Hornets (9-20) shooting 42.5% from the field (30.3% on 3s) this season. In Hunter’s 27 regular-season games with the Cavs last season after they acquired him in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, he shot 48.5% from the floor (42.6% on 3s).
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career,” Hunter said. “So, a shooting slump isn’t going to stop me from shooting.”
A bloody nose wasn’t enough to halt Hunter, either.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.