The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered their seventh home loss of the 2025-26 NBA season on Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets. It was a tough loss for the Cavaliers, as they fell to 15-12 on the season. Compared to the previous campaign, Cleveland hasn’t been competitive.
It was a hard-fought 119-111 win for the Hornets, led by star rookie Kon Knueppel. The Cavaliers had no answer for the former Duke star, who exploded for 29 points on 57.9% shooting. Donovan Mitchell tried to counter with his 26-point and 9-assist outing. But that wasn’t enough for the home team.
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The Mitchell-led team had the advantage late in the fourth quarter, but the Hornets’ Brandon Miller’s late-game 3-pointer extended the game. It all went down during overtime, as Cleveland went scoreless.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
The Hornets had eight points in the final period, while the Cavaliers went 0-for-10 from the field. Mitchell, Darius Garland and Jaylon Tyson each had three attempts. Unfortunately for the team, they couldn’t make a single shot. The team didn’t draw any fouls for a chance to add to their score from the free-throw line.
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Following the contest, the six-time All-Star took the blame for failing to lead the Cavaliers to a win.
“Put this one on me,” Mitchell said.
The Cavaliers became the first team since 2015 to be held scoreless in overtime, according to Sports Illustrated’s Owen O’Connor. This was their first encounter with the Hornets this season. It won’t be long until the two East teams meet again.
Their next game against Charlotte will be on Dec. 22 at the Rocket Arena.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.