The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to roll after having won their seventh straight game in a 100-99 nailbiter versus the Charlotte Hornets. It was an unconventional game for the Cavs, who seemed to be more focused on defense than on offense down the final stretch of the game.
Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue was pleased with Cleveland’s effort on the defensive end. Among those to catch Lue’s attention was forward Jeff Green, according to Nikki Goel of Cavs Nation:
“We did it in Charlotte, thought Jeff Green did a great job.”
Lue added that power forward Kevin Love was also impressive on defense.
The Cavs knew coming into the game that in order to keep their win streak alive, they would need to slow down All-Star point guard Kemba Walker. With Cleveland’s backcourt still decimated by injury, they relied heavily on throwing larger defenders on the crafty Walker. That said, the majority of Green’s 16 total minutes were spent chasing him around.
Meanwhile, Love largely struggled to get anything going on offense all night as he finished with just 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting. Fortunately, he made his presence in the paint felt on defense as well as the glass with 13 rebounds.
Cleveland has been one of the most high-powered offenses in the league this year. However, it is encouraging to see them finally putting some emphasis on the defense moving forward.