Game ID: 22500620
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Charlotte Hornets
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET
Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CHA 20 12 32 23 87CLE 33 23 20 18 94
CHA vs CLE ScoutingCHA vs CLE Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CHA availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restBACK Diabaté back 1/05 after 2, 30 min since (115% of 26)
BACK Kalkbrenner back 1/10 after 10, 24 min since (110% of 21)
BACK Williams back 1/10 after 31, 14 min since (70% of 20)
BACK Mann back 1/05 after 3, 7 min since (56% of 13)
CHA availability going into 1/15 · 2 days' restOUT Hall missed 2 since 1/10, out tonight
OUT McNeeley missed 2 since 1/10, out tonight
BACK Diabaté back 1/05 after 2, 31 min since (119% of 26)
BACK Kalkbrenner back 1/10 after 10, 18 min since (85% of 21)
BACK Williams back 1/10 after 31, 14 min since (68% of 20)
BACK Mann back 1/05 after 3, 9 min since (70% of 13)
CHA availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restOUT Hall missed 3 since 1/10, out tonight
OUT McNeeley missed 3 since 1/10, out tonight
BACK Kalkbrenner back 1/10 after 10, 17 min since (80% of 21)
BACK Williams back 1/10 after 31, 14 min since (68% of 20)
BACK Mann back 1/10 after 2, 12 min since (98% of 13)
NEW Diabaté 26 to 31 min over the last 5
CHA availability going into 1/18 · back-to-backOUT Hall missed 4 since 1/10, out tonight
OUT McNeeley missed 4 since 1/10, out tonight
BACK Kalkbrenner back 1/10 after 10, 19 min since (89% of 21)
BACK Williams back 1/10 after 31, 15 min since (73% of 20)
BACK Mann back 1/10 after 2, 10 min since (76% of 13)
NEW Diabaté 26 to 31 min over the last 4
CHA availability going into 1/21 · 2 days' restOUT Hall missed 5 since 1/10, out tonight
OUT McNeeley missed 5 since 1/10, out tonight
BACK Kalkbrenner back 1/10 after 10, 20 min since (93% of 21)
BACK Williams back 1/10 after 31, 15 min since (73% of 20)
BACK Mann back 1/10 after 2, 10 min since (81% of 13)
CHA availability going into 1/22 · back-to-backOUT Hall missed 6 since 1/10, out tonight
OUT McNeeley missed 6 since 1/10, out tonight
CHA availability going into 1/24 · 1 day's restOUT Hall missed 7 since 1/10, out tonight
OUT Mann missed 2 since 1/21, out tonight
OUT McNeeley missed 7 since 1/10, out tonight
CHA availability going into 1/26 · 1 day's restOUT Hall missed 8 since 1/10, out tonight
OUT Mann missed 3 since 1/21, returns tonight: 12 min (95% of 13)
OUT McNeeley missed 8 since 1/10, out tonight
CHA availability going into 1/28 · 1 day's restOUT Hall missed 9 since 1/10, out tonight
OUT McNeeley missed 9 since 1/10, returns tonight: 6 min (51% of 12)
BACK Mann back 1/26 after 3, 12 min since (95% of 13)
CLE availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 2 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Ball missed 3 since 1/06, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 20 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 1/10 after 2, 3 min since (24% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 1/10 after 3, 3 min since (27% of 10)
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 23 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 3 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Ball missed 4 since 1/06, returns tonight: 14 min (68% of 21)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 21 since 11/30, returns tonight: 5 min (41% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 1/10 after 2, 3 min since (24% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 1/10 after 3, 3 min since (27% of 10)
CLE availability going into 1/16 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 4 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Ball back 1/14 after 4, 14 min since (68% of 21)
BACK Nance Jr. back 1/14 after 21, 5 min since (41% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 1/10 after 2, 4 min since (34% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 1/10 after 3, 4 min since (38% of 10)
CLE availability going into 1/19 · 2 days' restOUT Wade missed 5 since 1/08, returns tonight: 16 min (74% of 22)
BACK Ball back 1/14 after 4, 13 min since (62% of 21)
BACK Nance Jr. back 1/14 after 21, 5 min since (41% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 1/10 after 2, 4 min since (34% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 1/10 after 3, 6 min since (61% of 10)
CLE availability going into 1/21 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 2 since 1/16, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 1/16, returns tonight: 13 min (102% of 12)
BACK Wade back 1/19 after 5, 16 min since (74% of 22)
BACK Ball back 1/14 after 4, 10 min since (50% of 21)
BACK Bryant back 1/10 after 2, 3 min since (31% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 1/10 after 3, 8 min since (82% of 10)
NEW Tyson 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Tomlin 14 to 20 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/23 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 3 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Wade back 1/19 after 5, 22 min since (97% of 22)
BACK Ball back 1/14 after 4, 10 min since (50% of 21)
BACK Nance Jr. back 1/14 after 21, 9 min since (72% of 12)
NEW Tyson 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Tomlin 14 to 21 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/24 · back-to-backOUT Merrill missed 4 since 1/16, out tonight
OUT Ball missed 2 since 1/21, returns tonight: 25 min (118% of 21)
OUT Bryant missed 2 since 1/21, returns tonight: 10 min (91% of 11)
BACK Wade back 1/19 after 5, 24 min since (107% of 22)
BACK Nance Jr. back 1/14 after 21, 10 min since (85% of 12)
NEW Tyson 24 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Tomlin 14 to 20 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/26 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 5 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Wade back 1/19 after 5, 24 min since (109% of 22)
BACK Ball back 1/24 after 2, 25 min since (118% of 21)
BACK Nance Jr. back 1/21 after 2, 13 min since (107% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 1/24 after 2, 10 min since (91% of 11)
NEW Tyson 24 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Tomlin 14 to 21 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/28 · 1 day's restOUT Hunter missed 2 since 1/24, returns tonight: 21 min (80% of 26)
OUT Merrill missed 6 since 1/16, returns tonight: 24 min (96% of 25)
BACK Wade back 1/19 after 5, 25 min since (113% of 22)
BACK Ball back 1/24 after 2, 19 min since (93% of 21)
BACK Nance Jr. back 1/21 after 2, 11 min since (88% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 1/24 after 2, 10 min since (91% of 11)
NEW Tyson 24 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Tomlin 14 to 22 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Miller at 22 and Ball at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 17 a night. Without Hall (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 123, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 23 and Garland at 22 a game. Without Merrill (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Charlotte wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Charlotte has been plus-17 a night and Cleveland plus-0 and the defense, Charlotte allowing 110 a night to Cleveland's 123. Call it Charlotte 122, Cleveland 116.
1/12 @ LAC 109-117 — CHA notes
CHA lost 109-117. CHA shot 49% (43 of 88) to LAC's 45%, 10 of 33 from three. CHA turned it over 10 times to LAC's 5. The glass went 49-37 for them. Ball led with 25 (11 of 24, 3 of 11 from three); Knueppel added 18, Diabaté 13. Q1 was theirs, 26-24, but the other 3 periods went 93-83 against them. Bridges's -15 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/15 @ LAL 135-117 — CHA notes
CHA won 135-117. CHA shot 54% (50 of 92) to LAL's 46%, 20 of 43 from three, and got to the line 16 times to LAL's 23. The glass went 50-35 for them. Ball led with 30 (10 of 20, 9 of 17 from three); Miller added 26, Bridges 25. The hinge was Q2, 34-16: CHA came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 9, and the lead reached 18. Miller was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
1/17 @ GSW 116-136 — CHA notes
CHA lost 116-136. CHA shot 46% (43 of 94) to GSW's 55%, 16 of 44 from three. CHA turned it over 17 times to GSW's 11, and GSW turned those into 8 steals. Miller led with 28 (11 of 19, 6 of 11 from three); Knueppel added 24, Sexton 17. Q2 was theirs, 29-30, but the other 3 periods went 106-87 against them. Knueppel's -21 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/18 @ DEN 110-87 — CHA notes
CHA won 110-87. CHA shot 49% (44 of 89) to DEN's 41%, 11 of 34 from three. The glass went 52-29 for them. Miller led with 23 (8 of 15, 4 of 9 from three); Kalkbrenner added 17, Knueppel 14. The hinge was Q1, 33-18: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 33. Ball was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/21 vs CLE 87-94 — CHA notes
CHA lost 87-94. CHA took 11 more shots (98 to 87), fed by 17 offensive rebounds, but shot 34% to CLE's 39%, 8 of 47 from three, and got to the line 18 times to CLE's 24. CHA turned it over 12 times to CLE's 20. The glass went 47-60 against them. Miller led with 24 (8 of 20, 3 of 11 from three); Knueppel added 21, Bridges 11. Q3 was theirs, 32-20, the deficit cut from 24 to 12, but the other 3 periods went 74-55 against them. Bridges's -29 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/22 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Banchero at 22 and Bane at 21 a game. Without Fra. Wagner (15 straight), Suggs (5 straight). 3 days' rest. Charlotte comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 16 free throws a game; Miller at 23 and Knueppel at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Hall (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the line, where Orlando takes 26 free throws a game to Charlotte's 16 and the glass, where Charlotte has been plus-8 a night and Orlando plus-2. Call it Orlando 116, Charlotte 112, Charlotte keeping it close.
1/24 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Miller at 24 and Knueppel at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Hall (7 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 117, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; George at 21 and Sarr at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Coulibaly (4 straight), Cooper (25 straight), Whitmore (22 straight). One day's rest.
So: Charlotte wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Charlotte has been plus-9 a night and Washington minus-0 and the defense, Charlotte allowing 106 a night to Washington's 117. Call it Charlotte 119, Washington 109, Charlotte by 10.
1/26 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Miller at 23 and Knueppel at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Hall (8 straight). One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 27 free throws a game; Embiid at 33 and Maxey at 26 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Drummond (2 straight), McCain (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Charlotte wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Charlotte has been plus-8 a night and Philadelphia minus-4 and the defense, Charlotte allowing 106 a night to Philadelphia's 114. Call it Charlotte 115, Philadelphia 112, Philadelphia keeping it close.
1/28 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 116, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 19 and Landale at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Mashack (5 straight), Pippen Jr. (3 straight). One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 97, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Miller at 24 and Knueppel at 15 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Hall (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: Charlotte wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Charlotte allowing 97 a night to Memphis's 116 and the glass, where Charlotte has been plus-12 a night and Memphis plus-4. Call it Charlotte 115, Memphis 111, Memphis keeping it close.
1/12 vs UTA 112-123 — CLE notes
CLE lost 112-123. CLE took 9 more shots (92 to 83), but shot 45% to UTA's 48%, 17 of 41 from three, and got to the line 13 times to UTA's 28. The glass went 30-50 against them. Garland led with 23 (7 of 17, 5 of 9 from three); Mitchell added 21, Mobley 15. Q2 was theirs, 40-20, turning a 12-point deficit into a 8-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 103-72 against them. They led by as many as 10. Mitchell's -12 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/14 @ PHI 133-107 — CLE notes
CLE won 133-107. CLE shot 53% (50 of 95) to PHI's 40%, 20 of 46 from three, and got to the line 18 times to PHI's 26. The glass went 52-42 for them. Mitchell led with 35 (11 of 22, 5 of 12 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Garland added 20, Mobley 17. The hinge was Q1, 33-18: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 30. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
1/16 @ PHI 117-115 — CLE notes
CLE won 117-115. CLE shot 52% (44 of 85) to PHI's 47%, 17 of 34 from three. CLE turned it over 18 times to PHI's 10, and PHI turned those into 11 steals. Tyson led with 39 (13 of 17, 7 of 9 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Hunter added 16, Mobley 15. The hinge was Q4, 33-24: CLE came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 2. CLE trailed 55-62 at the half and won the second half 62-53. Hunter was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/19 vs OKC 104-136 — CLE notes
CLE lost 104-136. CLE shot 37% (34 of 91) to OKC's 56%, 8 of 35 from three, and went to the line 35 times to OKC's 20 — 28 points from the stripe to their 13. CLE turned it over 21 times to OKC's 11, and OKC turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 54-38 for them. D. Mitchell led with 19 (5 of 18, 1 of 9 from three, 8 of 11 at the line); Tyson added 16, Mobley 16. Q3 was theirs, 28-25, the deficit cut from 15 to 12, but the other 3 periods went 111-76 against them. Allen's -31 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/21 @ CHA 94-87 — CLE notes
CLE won 94-87. CLE shot 39% (34 of 87) to CHA's 34%, 8 of 40 from three, and went to the line 24 times to CHA's 18 — 18 points from the stripe to their 13. CLE turned it over 20 times to CHA's 12, and CHA turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 60-47 for them. Mitchell led with 24 (8 of 20, 2 of 8 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Mobley added 14, Tyson 14. The hinge was Q1, 33-20: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 27.
1/23 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 22 and Tyson at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Merrill (3 straight). One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 117, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 26 free throws a game; Westbrook at 23 and LaVine at 19 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Murray (9 straight), Plowden (33 straight), Carter (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Cleveland 118, Sacramento 113.
1/24 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; Banchero at 21 and Bane at 19 a game. Without Fra. Wagner (16 straight), Suggs (6 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Tyson at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Merrill (4 straight), Ball (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-10 a night and Orlando plus-0. Call it Orlando 115, Cleveland 113, Cleveland keeping it close.
1/26 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Tyson at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Merrill (5 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 113, shooting 44 percent and 30 from three, 25 free throws a game; Banchero at 23 and Bane at 20 a game. Without Fra. Wagner (17 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-8 a night and Orlando minus-1 and the arc, Cleveland at 34 percent from three to Orlando's 30. Call it Cleveland 116, Orlando 111.
1/28 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 27 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Mobley at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Hunter (2 straight), Merrill (6 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 108, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Dončić at 35 and James at 21 a game. Without Reaves (16 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 40 percent from three to Cleveland's 32 and the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 15 times a game to the Lakers' 11. Call it Cleveland 115, the Lakers 113, the Lakers keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CHABM B. Miller
CS C. Sexton
GW G. Williams
JG J. Green
KK K. Knueppel
LB L. Ball
MB M. Bridges
MD M. Diabaté
RK R. Kalkbrenner
SJ S. James
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
JA J. Allen
JT J. Tyson
LN L. Nance Jr.
NT N. Tomlin
TP T. Proctor
CHA/CLE the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Mitchell scores 24 as Cavaliers use fast start to beat Hornets 94-87
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- — Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points, Evan Mobley added 14 points and 14 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers jumped out to 21-point first-quarter lead and held on to beat the Charlotte Hornets 94-87 Wednesday night for their fifth road win in the last six games.
Jaylon Tyson scored 14 points and Jarod Allen added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, who held the Hornets to 32 points in the first half on 26% shooting.
Brandon Miller finished with 24 points and Kon Knueppel had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead Charlotte, which made just 8 of 46 3-point attempts and was outrebounded 60-47.
The Cavs bolted to a big lead in the first quarter after making 11 of 15 shots from the field to open the game.
Cleveland's stifling on-ball pressure defense repeatedly forced Charlotte into uncharacteristic turnovers and hurried shots.
Mitchell set the tone for the Cavaliers with 14 points in the first half, and Cleveland's defense never allowed Charlotte to get into any rhythm in the first two quarters. The Hornets tied a season low with 12 points in the second quarter and trailed 56-32 lead at the break.
The Hornets got their transition game going in the third quarter and cut the lead to 12 points behind back-to-back alley-oop passes from LaMelo Ball to Miller. Charlotte cut its deficit to four with 13 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Miller and driving layup by Knueppel, but ran out of time.
Ball strategy backfires Hornets coach Charles Lee again brought LaMelo Ball off the bench on the first night of a back-to-back in an effort to preserve his body, but the move backfired as the No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft had one of the worst nights of his career. Ball finished with four points on 1-of-15 shooting, going 0 of 10 from beyond the 3-point line.