Cavs’ 75-point 1st half overwhelms Hornets
LeBron James’ 25 points, J.R. Smith’s 7 3s too much for Hornets
Cavs Crush Hornets
VIDEO PLAYLIST 
CLEVELAND — LeBron James scored 25 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers put on a dominant performance by routing the Charlotte Hornets 129-90 on Friday night for their fifth straight win.
The Cavaliers, with an artful display of shooting and passing, had the home crowd on its feet throughout the game. Cleveland’s 75-40 lead at halftime was its biggest in franchise history and the margin reached 49 points in the fourth quarter.
J.R. Smith scored 21 points on seven 3-pointers, and Kyrie Irving added 18 in Cleveland’s biggest win of the season.
Cavs’ Biggest Wins
The Cavaliers won their fifth straight game Friday by routing the Hornets, building a 75-40 haltime lead and leading by as many as 49 in the fourth quarter.
| Date | Margin | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 17, 1991 | 68 | Heat |
| Jan. 15, 1994 | 43 | 76ers |
| March 22, 1992 | 43 | Hawks |
| Jan. 24, 1976 | 43 | Bucks |
| Nov. 4, 1988 | 40 | at Hornets |
| Jan. 23, 2015 | 39 | Hornets |
| — ESPN Stats & Information | ||
Charlotte had won eight of nine, but was no match for the Cavaliers, who have again looked like title contenders since James returned from an eight-game absence with knee and back injuries.
James added nine assists and six rebounds in a season-low 27 minutes. He was pulled late in the third quarter and didn’t return. James is averaging 29.7 points and is shooting 51 percent in six games since his return.
Al Jefferson led Charlotte with 22 points while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 15.
Cleveland scored 14 straight points as part of a 24-4 run in the first half to put the game away early, leaving the rest of the night for open jumpers, fast breaks and dunks off alley-oop passes.
Leading 14-9, the Cavaliers went on a 14-0 run keyed by 3-pointers from Irving and Smith. James was fouled shooting a 3 and made all three free throws in addition to scoring on a finger roll and hitting a jumper.
James kept the Cavaliers rolling in the second quarter by hitting Timofey Mozgov with an alley-oop for a dunk, but the four-time MVP was just getting started.
James stole a pass in the frontcourt and drove in for a dunk for a 55-25 lead. Less than a minute later, he took a midcourt pass from Smith and dunked, which sent the crowd into a frenzy and extended the lead to 60-27.
James then hit Kevin Love with an alley-oop for a lay-in before Irving made another 3 for a 65-27 lead with 5:10 remaining before halftime.
Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert, who was out with a dislocated left shoulder, played for the first time since being acquired from New York on Jan. 5. He scored eight points in nine minutes.
Cleveland defeated Charlotte 97-88 on Dec. 15 after starting the game on a 21-0 run.
TIP-INS
Hornets: Jefferson and G Lance Stephenson came off the bench again Friday. Jefferson returned from a strained left groin three games ago, while Stephenson has played in five games since recovering from a pelvic strain. . The Hornets were held to nine fast break points.
Cavaliers: Cleveland has won six in a row over the Hornets and James has won his last 20 matchups against Charlotte. . Mozgov had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. . All 13 players scored for Cleveland.
UP NEXT
Hornets: Host New York on Saturday.
Cavaliers: Host Oklahoma City on Sunday.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
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