Steve Clifford wins final game as Charlotte coach, Hornets beat playoff-bound Cavaliers 120-110
CLEVELAND (AP) Nick Smith Jr. scored a season-high 24 points and Steve Clifford won his coaching farewell as the Charlotte Hornets rallied to beat the playoff-bound Cleveland Cavaliers 120-110 on Sunday.
Max Strus had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for his first career triple-double for Cleveland, which rested All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, point guard Darius Garland and sixth man Caris LeVert.
The Cavaliers finished fourth in the East and will have home-court advantage against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs. They locked up a top-four finish Friday by beating Indiana, but lost 12 of their final 19 regular-season games to wind up 48-34.
“Orlando is a young team and they’re going to be fighting for a lot, so we have to come in with the mentality to throw the first punch,” Cleveland center Jarrett Allen said. “We need to lock in, watch our film and do everything we can to prepare for the playoffs.”
Georges Niang scored 16 points, Allen posted 14 points and seven rebounds, and Evan Mobley had 14 points for Cleveland. Allen made all seven of his field goal attempts and went 20 of 21 from the field over the final two games.
Cavaliers forward Pete Nance - the son of former All-Star Larry Nance and brother of Pelicans center Larry Nance Jr. - made a 3-pointer for his first points in the NBA. Second-year pro Isaiah Mobley scored 11 and Craig Porter Jr. started at point guard before spraining his left ankle.
“The safety of our guys was the most important thing, so we stuck to our plan of giving the guys who play typical minutes for us no more than the first three quarters,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We wanted to give our younger players some unique experiences today, and we did that.”
JT Thor had a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who ended the game on an 18-2 run and finished with the third-worst record in the East at 21-61. Bryce McGowens had 18 points and Marques Bolden added 14 points and four blocked shots.
The 62-year-old Clifford, who will likely remain with the franchise as an advisor, has spent seven total seasons with Charlotte, including the past two, and is its career leader in games coached (574) and wins (244).
“I thought our guys had a great attitude in the last game of the year,” Clifford said. “Over these last 25-35 games, we were out of it, but they stuck together, practiced well and played some good games. I'm really proud of all of them."
Hornets small forward Brandon Miller, who ranks second among NBA rookies with a 17.3 scoring average, did not play because of a right wrist sprain. Power forward Miles Bridges was not in uniform with a bruised right wrist.
Niang became the first Cavaliers player to appear in all 82 games since LeBron James in 2017-2018.
UP NEXT
Hornets: NBA draft lottery on May 12.
Cavaliers: Host a playoff game on either April 20 or 21.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Marques Bolden vs. Jarrett Allen (Craig Porter Jr. gains possession) | |||
11:44 | Evan Mobley misses two point turnaround bank hook shot | |||
11:42 | Vasilije Micic defensive rebound | |||
11:29 | +2 | Marques Bolden makes two point turnaround bank hook shot (Vasilije Micic assists) | 2-0 | |
11:13 | +3 | Max Strus makes three point jump shot (Evan Mobley assists) | 2-3 | |
10:58 | Marques Bolden misses two point alley-oop layup | |||
10:56 | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | |||
10:53 | +3 | Max Strus makes three point running pullup jump shot (Isaac Okoro assists) | 2-6 | |
10:26 | Vasilije Micic misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | |||
10:24 | Craig Porter Jr. defensive rebound | |||
10:18 | Evan Mobley misses two point driving bank hook shot | |||
10:16 | JT Thor defensive rebound | |||
10:01 | Tre Mann misses three point jump shot | |||
9:58 | Max Strus defensive rebound | |||
9:43 | Max Strus misses three point jump shot | |||
9:40 | JT Thor defensive rebound | |||
9:35 | +3 | Vasilije Micic makes three point jump shot (Tre Mann assists) | 5-6 | |
9:20 | Craig Porter Jr. misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | |||
9:18 | Marques Bolden defensive rebound | |||
9:14 | Craig Porter Jr. personal foul (Tre Mann draws the foul) | |||
9:04 | +3 | Bryce McGowens makes three point jump shot (JT Thor assists) | 8-6 | |
8:47 | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point driving layup (Max Strus assists) | 8-8 | |
8:31 | Bryce McGowens misses two point driving finger roll layup | |||
8:28 | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | |||
8:27 | Jarrett Allen turnover (lost ball) (Tre Mann steals) | |||
8:18 | +2 | JT Thor makes two point running layup (Tre Mann assists) | 10-8 | |
8:09 | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point cutting dunk (Evan Mobley assists) | 10-10 | |
7:48 | +3 | JT Thor makes three point jump shot (Vasilije Micic assists) | 13-10 | |
7:34 | Marques Bolden shooting foul (Evan Mobley draws the foul) | |||
7:34 | +1 | Evan Mobley makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 13-11 | |
7:34 | +1 | Evan Mobley makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 13-12 | |
7:23 | Vasilije Micic misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
7:21 | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | |||
7:11 | JT Thor blocks Isaac Okoro's two point driving finger roll layup | |||
7:07 | Tre Mann defensive rebound | |||
6:58 | Tre Mann misses two point fadeaway jump shot | |||
6:56 | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | |||
6:47 | Evan Mobley misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
6:46 | Evan Mobley offensive rebound | |||
6:45 | Marques Bolden blocks Evan Mobley's two point putback dunk | |||
6:44 | Tre Mann defensive rebound | |||
6:35 | JT Thor misses three point jump shot | |||
6:33 | Max Strus defensive rebound | |||
6:24 | +3 | Isaac Okoro makes three point jump shot (Evan Mobley assists) | 13-15 | |
6:04 | Bryce McGowens misses two point driving reverse layup | |||
6:02 | Marques Bolden offensive rebound | |||
6:01 | Bryce McGowens misses three point jump shot | |||
6:01 | Max Strus defensive rebound | |||
5:51 | +2 | Craig Porter Jr. makes two point driving dunk (Jarrett Allen assists) | 13-17 | |
5:37 | Marques Bolden misses three point jump shot | |||
5:35 | Craig Porter Jr. defensive rebound | |||
5:35 | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | |||
5:23 | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point jump shot (Craig Porter Jr. assists) | 13-19 | |
5:04 | Vasilije Micic turnover (bad pass) (Craig Porter Jr. steals) | |||
4:59 | +3 | Max Strus makes three point running jump shot (Craig Porter Jr. assists) | 13-22 | |
4:39 | Bryce McGowens misses three point jump shot | |||
4:37 | Cavaliers defensive rebound | |||
4:18 | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point driving hook shot (Max Strus assists) | 13-24 | |
4:05 | +2 | Leaky Black makes two point pullup jump shot (Vasilije Micic assists) | 15-24 | |
3:45 | Marcus Morris Sr. misses two point fadeaway jump shot | |||
3:42 | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | |||
3:40 | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point putback layup | 15-26 | |
3:28 | Vasilije Micic misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
3:26 | Craig Porter Jr. defensive rebound | |||
3:23 | Bryce McGowens blocks Max Strus's two point running finger roll layup | |||
3:23 | Leaky Black defensive rebound | |||
2:59 | +3 | Nick Smith Jr. makes three point jump shot (Vasilije Micic assists) | 18-26 | |
2:43 | Max Strus misses two point driving finger roll layup | |||
2:38 | Max Strus offensive rebound | |||
2:38 | Max Strus misses two point tip layup | |||
2:37 | Nick Smith Jr. defensive rebound | |||
2:35 | Craig Porter Jr. blocks Nick Smith Jr.'s two point running layup | |||
2:30 | Bryce McGowens offensive rebound | |||
2:30 | Bryce McGowens misses two point tip layup | |||
2:30 | Max Strus defensive rebound | |||
2:30 | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | |||
2:17 | +2 | Marcus Morris Sr. makes two point pullup jump shot (Emoni Bates assists) | 18-28 | |
1:51 | +3 | Amari Bailey makes three point jump shot (Leaky Black assists) | 21-28 | |
1:34 | +3 | Georges Niang makes three point jump shot | 21-31 | |
1:21 | Nick Smith Jr. misses three point jump shot | |||
1:19 | Georges Niang defensive rebound | |||
1:13 | Emoni Bates misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
1:10 | Tre Mann defensive rebound | |||
0:58 | Tre Mann misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
0:55 | Amari Bailey offensive rebound | |||
0:55 | +2 | Leaky Black makes two point layup (Amari Bailey assists) | 23-31 | |
0:55 | Marcus Morris Sr. shooting foul (Leaky Black draws the foul) | |||
0:55 | +1 | Leaky Black makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 24-31 | |
0:39 | Marcus Morris Sr. turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
0:39 | Aleksej Pokusevski turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
0:33 | Isaac Okoro misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
0:31 | Aleksej Pokusevski defensive rebound | |||
0:21 | Aleksej Pokusevski misses two point jump shot | |||
0:19 | Emoni Bates defensive rebound | |||
0:02 | +2 | Emoni Bates makes two point stepback jump shot | 24-33 | |
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:47 | +2 | Aleksej Pokusevski makes two point pullup jump shot (Tre Mann assists) | 26-33 | |
11:28 | Tristan Thompson misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
11:27 | Tristan Thompson offensive rebound | |||
11:14 | +2 | Marcus Morris Sr. makes two point pullup jump shot (Emoni Bates assists) | 26-35 | |
10:59 | Tre Mann misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
10:59 | Cavaliers defensive rebound | |||
10:42 | +2 | Tristan Thompson makes two point driving layup (Isaac Okoro assists) | 26-37 | |
10:42 | Tre Mann shooting foul (Tristan Thompson draws the foul) | |||
10:42 | Tristan Thompson misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
10:40 | JT Thor defensive rebound | |||
10:23 | Marcus Morris Sr. shooting foul (Aleksej Pokusevski draws the foul) | |||
10:23 | Aleksej Pokusevski misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
10:23 | Hornets offensive rebound | |||
10:23 | +1 | Aleksej Pokusevski makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 27-37 | |
10:12 | Marcus Morris Sr. misses three point jump shot | |||
10:11 | Hornets defensive rebound | |||
9:48 | Amari Bailey misses two point fadeaway jump shot | |||
9:45 | Amari Bailey offensive rebound | |||
9:45 | Amari Bailey turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
9:33 | Tre Mann shooting foul (Isaac Okoro draws the foul) | |||
9:33 | +1 | Isaac Okoro makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 27-38 | |
9:33 | +1 | Isaac Okoro makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 27-39 | |
9:17 | Jump ball. Tre Mann vs. Isaac Okoro (JT Thor gains possession) | |||
9:12 | +3 | Tre Mann makes three point stepback jump shot (JT Thor assists) | 30-39 | |
8:55 | Marcus Morris Sr. misses three point jump shot | |||
8:54 | Tristan Thompson offensive rebound | |||
8:54 | +2 | Tristan Thompson makes two point tip layup | 30-41 | |
8:54 | Aleksej Pokusevski shooting foul (Tristan Thompson draws the foul) | |||
8:54 | Tristan Thompson misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
8:52 | Tre Mann defensive rebound | |||
8:37 | +3 | Aleksej Pokusevski makes three point jump shot (Leaky Black assists) | 33-41 | |
8:29 | +3 | Emoni Bates makes three point pullup jump shot (Max Strus assists) | 33-44 | |
8:14 | +3 | Leaky Black makes three point jump shot (JT Thor assists) | 36-44 | |
8:04 | Max Strus turnover (lost ball) (Leaky Black steals) | |||
7:58 | Amari Bailey misses three point running jump shot | |||
7:54 | Marcus Morris Sr. defensive rebound | |||
7:39 | Emoni Bates misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
7:37 | Aleksej Pokusevski defensive rebound | |||
7:27 | +2 | Amari Bailey makes two point driving layup (Tre Mann assists) | 38-44 | |
7:15 | Tristan Thompson misses two point driving layup | |||
7:13 | Leaky Black defensive rebound | |||
7:09 | +3 | Tre Mann makes three point running jump shot (Leaky Black assists) | 41-44 | |
6:46 | Leaky Black personal foul (Marcus Morris Sr. draws the foul) | |||
6:46 | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | |||
6:31 | +2 | Emoni Bates makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 41-46 | |
6:16 | Aleksej Pokusevski turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
6:06 | Jarrett Allen turnover (bad pass) (Aleksej Pokusevski steals) | |||
6:02 | Amari Bailey misses two point running finger roll layup | |||
6:01 | Nick Smith Jr. offensive rebound | |||
6:00 | +2 | Nick Smith Jr. makes two point tip dunk | 43-46 | |
5:46 | Emoni Bates misses two point driving finger roll layup | |||
5:43 | Nick Smith Jr. defensive rebound | |||
5:38 | Aleksej Pokusevski misses three point running jump shot | |||
5:34 | Marcus Morris Sr. defensive rebound | |||
5:13 | Marcus Morris Sr. misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
5:13 | Nick Smith Jr. defensive rebound | |||
5:03 | Nick Smith Jr. misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
5:03 | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | |||
4:51 | Marcus Morris Sr. misses three point jump shot | |||
4:49 | JT Thor defensive rebound | |||
4:42 | +2 | JT Thor makes two point cutting layup (Aleksej Pokusevski assists) | 45-46 | |
4:29 | +2 | Georges Niang makes two point pullup bank jump shot (Max Strus assists) | 45-48 | |
4:29 | Hornets 60 second timeout | |||
4:06 | +3 | Nick Smith Jr. makes three point jump shot (Leaky Black assists) | 48-48 | |
3:46 | +3 | Georges Niang makes three point jump shot (Max Strus assists) | 48-51 | |
3:21 | Nick Smith Jr. misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
3:19 | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | |||
3:13 | Georges Niang misses three point running jump shot | |||
3:11 | Leaky Black defensive rebound | |||
2:57 | +2 | JT Thor makes two point driving layup | 50-51 | |
2:40 | +2 | Max Strus makes two point driving floating jump shot (Jarrett Allen assists) | 50-53 | |
2:29 |