Cleveland Cavaliers pick up huge win without Donovan Mitchell to remain top 3 in the East

Donovan Mitchell has missed his 5th straight game tonight, but Jarrett Allen stepped up to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a massive 115-92 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The former All-Star center finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds on 7/9 shooting. Darius Garland had 15 points with 10 assists while Evan Mobley recorded 17 points, 7 boards, and 8 assists. Georges Niang hit 5 threes off the bench and scored a total of 17 points.

Brandon Miller scored a team-high 24 points with 8 rebounds. Miles Bridges had 13 points with 6 boards while Tre Mann finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Grant Williams provided 12 points off the bench.

Cleveland improves to 44-28 with this win and remain the 3rd seed in the East at the moment. It’s a tight race in the standings with just about 10 games remaining so expect these next few weeks to be very competitive.

The Cavs received unfortunate news that there is still no timetable for Donovan Mitchell’s return. They are hoping that he’ll be ready for the playoffs but if not, it will be a difficult postseason. The Ohio team has struggled this season without their All-Star and over the last 10 games they are 4-6. Their next matchup will be on Wednesday against this same Hornets team.

Charlotte drops to 17-54 with this loss. They are eliminated from the playoffs so expect some of their veterans to sit out in the upcoming weeks while they give some playing time to their young guys for development purposes. This team is on a 5-game losing streak and will have a chance at redemption on Wednesday.