Without six of their players, the Charlotte Hornets scored 16 straight points in the third quarter Monday night and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-112 to end a six-game losing streak.
Guard Brandon Miller and forward Kon Knueppel were among the inactive players. Miller left Friday's game against Boston after he began to limp. "I don't think it's going to be a long term thing," Hornets coach Charles Lee said Monday, adding that "every day he's feeling a little bit better."
The run took less than three minutes. Up 84-67, the Hornets got a putback dunk and an alley-oop layup from center Ryan Kalkbrenner, then four 3-pointers, two each by rookie guard Christian Anderson Jr. and guard Sion James. James's second made it 100-67 with 3:50 left in the period.
Forward Naz Reid had 25 points and 13 rebounds, 12 days after Lee benched him for the second half at Detroit. Asked how the two had moved past it, Reid said, "Stuff like that happens, but it's how you respond." He said they "were able to communicate like nothing happened."
Charlotte made 23 of 46 3-pointers, three nights after it made 11 of 50 in a 119-80 loss to Boston. Guard Grayson Allen scored 27 points and made six 3s. Kalkbrenner had 15 rebounds and three blocks, and the Hornets outrebounded Cleveland 49-32, 17-4 on the offensive glass.
"I'm glad that some shots went down, but I even love the defensive intensity probably even more," Lee said.
Down 107-80 after three quarters, the Cavaliers outscored Charlotte 32-17 in the fourth. Meleek Thomas, a Cleveland reserve, scored 12 of his 18 points in the period, including the 3-pointer that made it 118-110 with 3:47 left. Kalkbrenner tipped the ball in, forward Royce O'Neale made a 3-pointer 42 seconds later, and Cleveland got no closer than 11.
The Hornets are 4-7, tied with Washington for ninth in the Eastern Conference. They play at the Phoenix Suns at 9 p.m. Thursday.