Kevin Love made two free throws with 1.2 seconds to play to rescue the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 102-101 victory against the host Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
The Cavaliers nearly wasted Jarrett Allen’s 29-point, 22-rebound performance, while Love ended up with 25 points. Brandon Goodwin added 12 points and nine assists for Cleveland, which won for the 10th time in 13 games.
The Hornets trailed by 17 points in the fourth quarter and were down by six with less than two minutes to play. A 9-0 run featuring two 3-pointers by P.J. Washington and one by Kelly Oubre Jr. put Charlotte ahead by three with 46.2 seconds left.
Allen tipped in a shot with 35.3 seconds to go, slicing the margin to one.
A defensive stop gave the Cavaliers possession again, and Love was fouled by Terry Rozier. After Love’s foul shots, the Hornets took a timeout before Goodwin’s steal sealed the outcome.
Rozier finished with 24 points and Oubre had 21 for the Hornets. LaMelo Ball added 15 points for Charlotte, which lost its third game in a row and plays the Miami Heat on Saturday night.
The late-game 3-pointers accounted for six of Washington’s eight points.
Love knocked down 6 of 14 3-point shots.
The Hornets had starting forward Gordon Hayward back from a six-game absence caused by time in COVID-19 protocol. He managed just seven points in 29 minutes and was charged with the game’s final turnover.
The Cavaliers led 84-67 with 9:43 remaining before the Hornets came charging back, closing within 92-88 with more than 3 1/2 minutes to play.
Goodwin’s 3-pointer dented Charlotte’s momentum. Then at the 2:01 mark, Allen converted a three-point play, and the edge was up to 98-92 prior to the Hornets’ late push.
Allen reached the 20-20 mark of his double-double in the third quarter. Overall, 11 of his boards came at the offensive end.
–Field Level Media