Cleveland, March 3 (BUS): Terry Roser scored 29 points and got Charlotte’s backcourt with Lamelo Bull in trouble, to lead the Hornets to a 119-98 victory Wednesday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, which brought back star Darius Garland. But he lost for the fifth time in six matches.
Rozier added seven assists and seven rebounds, while Isaiah Thomas scored 10 points on his debut with Charlotte. The Hornets have made 17 three-pointers and have improved to only 3-11 since January 28, the Associated Press reports.
The Cavaliers, wracked by injuries in their backcourt, greeted Garland’s comeback after missing three games with a bone contusion to his back. Garland finished with 33 points in 33 minutes.
However, Garland couldn’t help the Cavs fall behind by 24 points in the third quarter — a recent trend — or slow the Hornets, who came in as the best scoring team in the NBA (114.1 points per game).
Cleveland also lost coach GB Bickerstaff, who suffered two technical errors and was sent off by referee Natalie Sago in the third quarter. Bickerstaff was upset by several disconnected calls and made his case known before turning it on.
Garrett Allen scored 18 points and had 11 rebounds.
He played the ball, averaging 19.9 points, only eight minutes and missed all three shots. But Rosier made up for his absence and provided Thomas with a spark after signing a 10-day contract earlier in the day.
The Cavs were still about 12 in fourth when Miles Bridges and Rosier buried 3-pointers to bury Cleveland. Bridges added 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Garland was initially injured on January 9 and will have to deal with the injury for the rest of this season.
Bickerstaff said Garland should watch his back—literally.
“In his position, you spend a lot of time with your back to people when you’re on the defensive end of the floor,” Bickerstaff said. “The game is a lot of pick-and-play, and that’s the angle a lot of those screens are set to, so you’re careful and aware of all of that to be honest with you.”
Hint
Hornets: F Gordon Hayward (left ankle sprain), averaging 16.1 points, missed his ninth straight game. … F Jalen McDaniels (left ankle sprain) was last played on January 21 and G James Bouknight (neck soreness) missed his second game in a row. …Charlotte has a winning road record against all three divisions in the East.
Cavaliers: JR Rajon Rondo (twisted toe) missed his third straight game and JK Caris Levert (twisted toe) sat for his fourth straight game. …Cavs had only 2 of 13 first-half three-pointers and finished 10 of 31. …Nearly-signed JT Tim Frazier has now played for nine NBA franchises, three shy of a league record shared by five players.
Thomas arrives
In the backcourt, the Hornets signed Thomas, who had 10-day deals earlier this season with the Lakers and the Mavericks. The 33-year-old caught Charlotte’s attention with a 46-point game recently against a G League team.
Hornets coach James Borrego is thrilled to have Thomas on board, especially to mentor Paul and the team’s other young guards.
“Drive, poise, confidence. It provides it all,” Borrego said.
next one
Hornets: Host San Antonio on Saturday.
Cavaliers: Visit Philadelphia on Friday, to begin four road games in eight days.