Cavaliers at Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are struggling to maintain any positive momentum and followed up a strong performance in the opener of the homestand by squandering a 19-point lead in a loss two days later. The Hornets will try to take advantage of the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers and get back in the win column when they play the third of a four-game homestand on Saturday.
Charlotte, which started the homestand by bashing the Miami Heat 125-113 on Tuesday, failed to execute down the stretch on Thursday and fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-107 - marking the team's fourth loss by four or fewer points. "I don’t know. We have to find a way (to eke out close games), to get stops and put the ball in the basket," Hornets star guard Kemba Walker told reporters. "We just have to be better down the stretch. We have to want these games, we have to try to get these games." The Cavaliers aren't getting nearly as close in their losses and followed up their first win of the season by dropping a 110-91 decision at home to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. "With this team, even though it shouldn't be, guys offensively if they're not getting in a rhythm sometimes take a step back defensively," center Tristan Thompson told reporters. "I think that's just the nature of the NBA, the nature of basketball."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cleveland), FS Southeast (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (1-7): Cleveland made a strong pivot toward the young players on the team with the firing of coach Tyron Lue, and Thompson is one of the few veterans still receiving big minutes. The 27-year-old veteran of the championship years with LeBron James and company is trying to teach his new teammates winning habits. "We've got some bad habits, we've got guys that have got some bad habits," Thompson told reporters. "That's fine, it's a learning process at the end of the day. They don't have enough wins on their resume to know what (a bad habit) looks like. Some guys win 25 games and think it's a good season. That's terrible. Guys just have to learn how to break bad habits and that's what we're going to have to do."
ABOUT THE HORNETS (4-5): Charlotte still leans more toward the veterans on the roster and is watching point guard Tony Parker turn back the clock. Parker followed up his first double-double since 2016 in Tuesday's win with 17 points and four assists in 23 minutes on Thursday while guiding the second unit and helped coax another solid performance out of second-year shooting guard Malik Monk. The 20-year-old Kentucky product scored a season-high 21 points in his second consecutive 20-point outing and buried four 3-pointers in each of the last two games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cavaliers SG Rodney Hood went 1-of-9 from the floor on Thursday after shooting 17-of-28 in the previous two contests.
2. Charlotte PF Marvin Williams is 2-of-18 from 3-point range over the last six games.
3. Cleveland is enjoying a nine-game winning streak in the series.