Mobley fuels NBA-best Cavaliers in win over Hornets

Evan Mobley scored a career-high 41 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers improved their NBA-best record with a dominant 116-102 victory over the depleted Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.

Mobley set the tone in Charlotte with 23 points in the first quarter, when he made five of his six three-pointers and the Cavs pushed their lead to as many as 22 before taking a 63-52 advantage into the halftime break.

“He didn’t hit the rim on the threes,” teammate Caris LeVert said of Mobley’s effort. “They were all swishes, like the first four or five … it was definitely a sight to see.”

The Hornets, with top contributors LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Nick Richards among their many absentees, pulled within four points with 5:05 to play, but Cleveland pulled away with a 12-2 scoring run that included seven points from Mobley.

Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland added 18 points apiece for the Cavs and Jarrett Allen added 11 points and 10 assists as Cleveland improved to 21-3.

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said he wasn’t surprised by the 23-year-old Mobley’s breakout game, which also featured three blocked shots and a steal.

“He’s got all this talent,” Atkinson said. “I still think he’s scratching the surface.”

Brandon Miller led the Hornets with 25 points, but Charlotte were rarely able to pressure the Cavaliers, who notched a fourth straight victory.

bb/sev