Cup of Cavs

Cup of Cavs: Cleveland Cavaliers news and links for Friday, Nov. 18

The Cavs will look to avoid some of the theatrics we saw last season.

By Jackson Flickinger@Akron_Jackson Nov 18, 2022, 6:00am CST

If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Happy Friday. The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to snap their five game losing streak tonight as they take on the Charlotte Hornets.

The first sip

It’s been 287 days since the referees awarded the Hornets a four point play on a shot that occurred after the whistle. After watching the replay again, I’m more confused at this call now than I was then.

The Cavs ended up escaping with a one point win thanks to two made free throws from Kevin Love after he secured an offensive rebound from a Brandon Goodwin miss at the close of regulation. That foul was also somewhat suspect, but it went the Cavs’ way instead.

I’ve seen a lot of games, but there are few that had weirder endings than that one.

The second sip

Nothing has gone the Hornets way to start the season. They’ve won one of their last ten games. Charlotte blew a 13 point second quarter lead against the Indiana Pacers their last time out.

Not being able to keep LaMelo Ball on the floor is one of the things that have held the Hornets back. He rolled his ankle again on Wednesday after returning to play last Saturday. Ball has only played in three games this season and will not be on the floor tonight.

The Cavs are taking on a team that is going through a difficult time right now. We’ll see if they can take advantage of it.