Cavs finally find the range in much-needed win over Hornets

The Cavaliers finally remembered who they are. Or at least who they were not all that long ago.

After stumbling through an ugly offensive stretch, Cleveland broke out in a big way Monday night, outgunning Charlotte 139–132 in a home game that felt far more necessary than comfortable.

The ball moved. The pace picked up. And the threes kept coming, the kind that demoralize opponents and forgive mistakes.

There were plenty of those mistakes, by the way. The defense was loose, rotations were slow, and the Hornets’ offense looked far more polished than it should have. Clean looks everywhere. Too many. But this time, the Cavaliers had an answer.

They made 24 threes. That tends to change the math.

Darius Garland looked like an All-Star again, knifing into the lane, creating space and finishing with 27 points and 10 assists. Donovan Mitchell fit right alongside him, pouring in 30 without hijacking the night. That balance has been missing. It showed.

De’Andre Hunter delivered a long-overdue bounce-back with 27. Sam Merrill returned after a month away and brought energy, even if the shot didn’t follow.

It wasn’t perfect. But it was familiar. And for a team searching for traction, that matters.

The Cavs (16-14) go right back at it with another home game Tuesday, this time against the Pelicans.