CLEVELAND – – Marcus Morris Sr. threw a high, intentional elbow that flattened one of the Hornets.
This woke up the Cavaliers.
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen each scored 17 points, and Cleveland bounced back from an embarrassing loss at Miami 24 hours earlier by beating Charlotte 115-92 on Monday night.
Mobley also had a career-high eight assists and seven rebounds in 25 minutes in his second game after being sidelined with a sprained ankle. Allen grabbed 13 boards.
The Cavs started slowly but took off after Morris, who earned a reputation as a tough guy over 13 seasons in the NBA, was ejected for drilling Charlotte center Nick Richards in the jaw midway through the second quarter -time.
As Richards entered the lane, Morris delivered a high head blow that ended up turning the match.
Although it may have lacked mischief, the arm swing had meaning.
“I just wanted to be physical,” Morris said. “Like I told the player (Richards), I wasn’t trying to hurt him. I’m just trying to set the tone, man. You’re driving the paint, catching lobs and we’re trying to stop that kind of (stuff).
Morris, who signed a 10-day contract with the Cavs on March 18, said he was sending a message to his new teammates and the rest of the league.
“There were a lot of grueling games and I just wanted to toughen us up,” Morris said. “Get up front, listen, this is what we expect in the future, not just today. Set a precedent heading into the playoffs. We don’t want anyone to come here and do whatever they want.
“I wanted to play along, I didn’t want to get sent off, but I definitely wanted to give him a little lick. I was happy with how we responded.
The Cavs were blown out by 37 on Sunday by the Heat, who led 45 at one point. The loss seemed to be rock bottom for a tired Cleveland team struggling with injuries and sliding down the Eastern Conference standings.
But a matchup against the struggling Hornets was exactly what the Cavs needed to end a three-game losing streak.
Georges Niang made five 3-pointers and scored 17 for Cleveland, which had lost six of eight and was just four games shy of a play-in berth after being among the top teams in the East for months.
Brandon Miller scored 24 points and Miles Bridges had 13 for Charlotte. The Hornets, who have won 17, have lost five straight and 12 of 14. Charlotte’s schedule hasn’t helped with 13 of 17 games on the road since the All-Star break.
“I’ve been in the league 20 years and I’ve never seen a time like this,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “We need to go home, freshen up and try to finish on a good note.”
Mobley scored 11 points in the third quarter to help the Cavs maintain the double-digit lead they had built late in the second. Charlotte was still down 12 early in the fourth when Sam Merrill made back-to-back 3s to give Cleveland some breathing room.
For one of the rare times in recent weeks, the Cavs played with a joy they lacked. Cleveland finished with 41 assists on 46 goals scored.
Morris could hear the league talking about his Flagrant-2 foul, but felt the Cavs needed it.
“I never really want to be kicked out of a game,” he said. “I always want to help my team, but I’m just happy we responded really well. Going forward, man, like I told the team, every one of these games has to be treated like the playoffs.
“So if I have to introduce someone every game and we respond like that, so be it.”
The Cavaliers remain without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who has been out with a broken nose and bruised left knee.
Mitchell has played in just five of 19 games since the break, and the Cavs have only had their starting lineup on the court for 44 minutes since mid-February due to injuries.
Cleveland guard Max Strus (knee) missed his 12th straight game with an injury of unknown magnitude, and Dean Wade (knee) missed his fourth straight game.
FOLLOWING
The teams will meet again Wednesday in Charlotte, and a third time in the home finale in Cleveland on April 14.
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