South Charlotte Today

The Charlotte Hornets concluded their regular season with a comeback victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers, marking the second consecutive year they have achieved such a feat in Cleveland. Despite an injury-plagued season, the 120-110 win allowed Head Coach Steve Clifford to end his NBA coaching career positively.

The Cavaliers missed an opportunity to secure a top-three Eastern Conference seed, resulting in a first-round matchup with the Orlando Magic. The Hornets, fielding mostly reserve players, ended their season with three wins out of their last six games, all against playoff-bound teams.

Cleveland started strong with a 14-0 run and solid defense to lead 33-24 after the first quarter. However, Charlotte narrowed the gap by halftime. The Cavaliers maintained pressure in the third quarter but saw their lead diminish as Charlotte launched a significant fourth-quarter rally.

Coach Clifford praised his team's attitude: “I thought those guys had a good attitude,” he said after the game. “One o’clock starts are also always different. Last game of the year, but they put a lot into it, and I was happy for them.”

Several Hornets players set personal records during this game. Nick Smith Jr., JT Thor, Marques Bolden, and Amari Bailey achieved new career-high points totals. Bryce McGowens scored a season-high 18 points.

JT Thor commented on the team's performance: “I came in thinking we’ve got everything to play for even though we’re not in the playoffs."

For Cleveland, Max Strus recorded his first NBA triple-double before exiting midway through the fourth quarter. Georges Niang led with 16 points off the bench.