LeBron James and Kevin Love picked up much of the slack with Kyrie Irving sidelined by a hamstring injury. They got some help, too.
James scored 17 of his 32 points in the first quarter as the Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Hornets 121-109 on Saturday.
Love added 28 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, who played without Irving after the point guard got hurt in Thursday’s 124-118 victory over the Boston Celtics.
Photo: Sam Sharpe-USA Today
Jordan McRae, who got the start with Irving out of the lineup, had 20 points, while Kay Felder finished with 13.
James was six from seven from the field in the first quarter, including a perfect three from three from beyond the arc.
“I was just locked in from the beginning,” James said. “I had to get off to a good start. Then finding out Kyrie was scratched late... I just took it upon myself and the team, and we just got off to a great first quarter and it helped us a lot.”
James was 12 of 25 from the field in 35 minutes. He also had nine assists and six rebounds.
Love scored 15 points in the second quarter, helping Cleveland to a 71-59 lead at the break. The Cavs went 12 from 18 from three-point range in the first half.
“It was great shooting, good ball movement, taking open shots,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Guys were open and we found open guys. Kevin did a great job of setting the tone with that three-point shooting early and we just continued from there.”
Kemba Walker scored 37 points for the Hornets, who had won five of six.
Frank Kaminsky added 15 points, while Nicolas Batum finished with 13 points and eight assists.
Walker had 20 points on eight-from-12 shooting in the second half, but the Hornets could not catch the Cavaliers.
“They really just brought the intensity early and we didn’t match,” Walker said. “We just have to be better. By the time we picked it up, it was kind of too late.”
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