The Cleveland Cavaliers managed to keep their perfect start to the 2024-25 NBA season intact, even without superstar guard Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs beat the Charlotte Hornets 128-114 on Sunday night to improve to a 15-0 record.
The Cavs saw four players score 21 or more points against the Hornets. This included point guard Darius Garland scoring 25 points to go with 12 assists and Jarrett Allen having 21 points and 15 rebounds. Evan Mobley finished the contest with 23 points and 11 boards, while Ty Jerome scored a career-high 24 points.
Cleveland now has the second-best start of the season in NBA history and is tied with the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and 1948-49 Washington Capitols. The only team that got off to a better start was the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who ended up breaking the league record for most wins in a season with a 73-9 record.
All three previous teams that were 15-0 to start the campaign ended up playing in the NBA Finals that same season. The Rockets would go on to win it all, while the Capitols and the Warriors ended empty-handed.
The Cavs are now hoping to keep their winning streak going, but the team standing in their way are the reigning NBA champions, Boston Celtics, whom they play on Tuesday. According to Cleveland’s head coach, Kenny Atkinson, this game comes at a “perfect time” for his team.
“It’s going to be a great test for us,” Atkinson added. “They obviously play a different style, five-out with five shooters, so it’s going to be a real good test for us. We’re at that point right now — 15-0, and let’s test ourselves against the best and see where we stand and see where we’re going to make adjustments or not make adjustments.”
