The Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets are both slumping, but they’ll have a chance to get rolling when they meet Monday night in Charlotte.
The matchup will be the first stop on Cleveland’s three-game road trip. The Cavaliers have lost three of their last four games.
“This is a tough league, tough schedule,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “… We’ve got three on the road coming up; got to bounce back.”
The Hornets have lost six games in a row, so having a two-day layoff without a game might be helpful after Friday night’s 119-80 home blowout loss to the Boston Celtics.
“Right now, you’re in a little bit in a storm,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “We got to band together a little bit more. We have to continue to work at even a higher rate. In these moments, you grow even stronger, you learn about yourself.”
Donovan Mitchell has led the Cavaliers in scoring in the past four games, including a season-high 37 points in Saturday’s 109-97 home loss to the New York Knicks in a rematch of last spring’s Eastern Conference finals.
“It didn’t help that the shots weren’t falling,” Atkinson said of the Cavaliers’ bid for a comeback.
Naz Reid has led Charlotte in scoring in back-to-back games, but that included just 14 points in the Boston game.
Of significance, Hornets swingman Brandon Miller left in the second quarter because of what team officials described as right groin soreness.
“We’ll have more information on Monday,” Lee said, adding that the weekend off might afford time for Miller to recover.
Grayson Allen and Ryan Kalkbrenner joined the Charlotte starting lineup for the first time this season on Friday.
“Like we said coming into the year, it was going to be by committee, and we had to commit to everything that was going to go out and embrace every day of our journey,” Lee said. “This is part of it.”
Lee has presented an optimistic outlook.
“At some point, I know we’re on the verge of a breakthrough,” he said. “We know how to get through it.”
The Hornets are shooting 28.8 percent from 3-point range, second-worst in the NBA. That’s not a signal to pull back on some of the long-range launches.
“The mindset is still to find the best uncontested shot we can get,” Lee said.
Atkinson said the Cavaliers need to respond after a dismal rebounding performance vs. New York.
“We’ve got to find a way to rebound better collectively,” Atkinson said.
Mitchell’s offense isn’t the only area where he’s contributing for Cleveland. That was evident against the Knicks.
“He was competing at a high level at the defensive end, too,” Atkinson said. “He kept after it.”
Cleveland is 1-3 on the road this season. The Cavaliers have won their last four visits to Charlotte.
