The Charlotte Hornets came out with plenty of energy Monday night, as the team hoped to snap a six-game losing streak against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Charlotte got off on the right foot, outscoring the Cavaliers 40-25 in the second quarter to take a 16-point lead into the halftime break. Grayson Allen had another stellar first half, scoring 20 points.
In the third quarter, Charlotte's lead ballooned to as many as 33, but Cleveland's third unit helped claw back in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers outscored Charlotte 32-17 in the fourth, cutting the lead down to as many as eight. That said, the Hornets held on 124-112, as a pivotal offensive rebound by Ryan Kalkbrenner led to a Royce O'Neale 3-pointer to ice the game with 2:44 left to play.
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the absence of Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, it was Naz Reid and Grayson Allen who provided the scoring. Allen finished with a game-high 27 points to go along with six assists, four rebounds and two steals. Reid tallied a double-double with 25 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals. The aforementioned Kalkbrenner was phenomenal in place of Moussa Diabate (who was also injured). The former Creighton center posted eight points and 15 rebounds, 10 of which came on the offensive glass. He also had three blocks and one steal. Rookie Meleek Thomas was Cleveland's leading scorer, finishing with 18 points off the bench with three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
Looking ahead, the Hornets will now embark on a four-game road trip beginning Thursday against the Phoenix Suns.
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This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Shorthanded Hornets nail 23 3-pointers, beat Cavaliers to end six-game skid
