Dribbles: Cavs survive Hornets, win streak rolls to seven

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 118-113 road win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.

1. It was the second night of a back-to-back. Loud building. Hot opponent. Not exactly the recipe for style points. The Cavs settled for something better — a win.

2. This one wasn’t necessarily clean or smooth, and definitely wasn’t comfortable. But it counts the same as the blowouts, and those matter in February.

3. The Cavs (36-21) controlled the first half. Won the opening quarter by double digits, stretched it to 14, then let it wobble just enough to keep everyone honest.

4. The third quarter? Not great. Charlotte caught fire from deep and briefly flipped the game. Eight threes in one quarter will do that.

5. But credit these Cavs for not panicking. That seems to be their new rally cry. They bent. They didn’t snap.

6. The offense kept producing quality looks, largely because of the Donovan Mitchell–James Harden combo. When one had the ball, the other stayed dangerous.

7. Speaking of that, Mitchell saved his loudest work for when it mattered most. Thirteen of his 32 came in the fourth. Star stuff.

8. Meanwhile, Harden played traffic cop down the stretch. Not forcing. Not rushing. Just steering.

9. Harden’s final line (18 points, eight assists) hardly screams takeover. But the way he managed the game sure does.

10. Jarrett Allen set the tone early. Eleven points in the first quarter, 26 for the night, 14 boards, and just general constant activity.

11. Even when Allen wasn’t scoring late, his presence mattered. Screens. Seals. Extra possessions created the hard way.

12. The Cavs did struggle to finish defensive possessions. Long rebounds off missed threes were a problem all night. I’m gonna nitpick for a second and say, man, they need to get that cleaned up. It’s OK now. It won’t be OK six weeks from now.

13. The Hornets (26-31) turned those into 37 second-chance points. Again, that’s not sustainable, especially against better teams.

14. That’s where Evan Mobley’s absence showed up. Cleaning the glass fixes a lot of things.

15. Kon Knueppel nearly stole this one. Seven threes. Thirty-three points. Every Cavs fan felt it. That rookie is a bad man, and in a good way for Charlotte.

16. But the Hornets finally cooled. Two-for-15 from deep in the fourth. The legs went. The Cavs didn’t.

17. Cleveland won the final quarter 28-24 without ever fully pulling away — or giving it back. That’s growth. Earlier versions of this team might’ve let it slip.

18. So the engine rolls on, as the Cavs have won seven straight and 12 of 13. They’re 5-0 in the Harden era. This isn’t noise anymore.

19. Next up: A rematch with the reigning champion Thunder in Oklahoma City. That’s a Sunday matinee (1 p.m. EST).

20. OKC is without the injured Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell. But that doesn’t matter much for them. They usually win, anyway. But right now, the Cavs are doing a lot of the same.

BOX SCORE | Cavs 118, Hornets 113