The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge of another extended winning streak.
They aim to stretch it to four consecutive wins when they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday afternoon.
The Cavaliers view this phase of the season as an opportunity to solidify their dominance.
Cleveland is coming off a successful 3-0 homestand, most recently defeating the Denver Nuggets 126-114 on Thursday night.
Forward Evan Mobley’s increasing aggressiveness is proving beneficial for the Cavaliers. He has started expanding his shot selection, including hitting three 3-pointers against Denver, contributing to his 20-point performance.
Cleveland previously secured a 128-114 home victory against the Hornets on Nov. 17, where Charlotte’s
LaMelo Ball posted a game-high 31 points and 12 assists. Four Cavaliers players surpassed the 20-point mark, led by Darius Garland with 25 points.
That game was unusual as the Hornets took 26 more shots from the field than the Cavaliers, who outscored Charlotte 27-10 at the free-throw line and overcame 20 turnovers.
That victory marked the end of Cleveland’s season-opening 15-game winning streak. Since then, the Cavaliers have posted a 5-3 record.
The Hornets’ losing streak extended to seven games following Thursday night’s 125-101 road loss to the New York Knicks. Charlotte coach Charles Lee remarked that his team failed to maintain the necessary level of physicality in the second half.
Brandon Miller continued his high production with 26 points against the Knicks. He has picked up much of the scoring in the absence of Ball (left calf strain), registering at least 20 points in nine consecutive games.
Guard Seth Curry could provide a boost for Charlotte after scoring a season-high 18 points on Thursday night.
The Hornets are working to reintegrate center Mark Williams into the rotation since his return to action. He has averaged 9.5 minutes off the bench in two games this season.
In the long term, this could reduce playing time for Moussa Diabate, who has been effective defensively and on the boards but not much of a factor offensively. Diabate, a third-year pro in his first season with the Hornets, is averaging 3.1 points in 20 minutes per game.
Charlotte’s injury situation became more complicated with rookie Tidjane Salaun sustaining an ankle injury early in Thursday night’s game.
The Cavaliers have won four of their last five visits to Charlotte.
