Player Grades: Cavs vs Hornets – Darius Garland impresses in 27-point performance

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers’ offense came alive. They were moving the ball around the perimeter and hitting outside shots like it was last regular season. That was enough to carry them past the Charlotte Hornets with a 139-132 win despite a subpar defensive effort.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Darius Garland

27 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds

Garland looked like the All-Star version of himself for the second game in a row. He was creating space off the dribble in ways that we haven’t consistently seen this season.

This was another incredibly encouraging performance from Garland.

Grade: A-

Jarrett Allen

12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists

Allen played fine. He was a serviceable big, provided some level of interior defense, and did his part on the glass.

However, Allen is far too skilled to settle for him just being serviceable, as has been the case most nights this season.

Grade: C-

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Donovan Mitchell

30 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds

Mitchell picked up right where he left off after being held out of Friday’s loss with an illness. He was an effective three-level scorer and did a great job blending his game with Garland. This was exactly what you want to see from Mitchell.

Getting into foul trouble limited kept him from having an even bigger scoring night.

Grade: B+

Jaylon Tyson

0 points, 3 assist, 1 rebound

Tyson wasn’t quite able to find his place on the court when sharing the floor with a reinforced starting lineup featuring Garland, Mitchell, and Allen. He seemed hesitant to get in the way on the offensive end, which isn’t the best version of Tyson.

Grade: C-

Lonzo Ball

6 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds

Ball was incredibly impactful dictating the pace of the offense, and was a useful team defender. The scoring once again left something to be desired as he couldn’t find the range outside and was blocked on what seemed like a clean layup opportunity.

Grade: B

Sam Merrill

4 points, 5 assists, 1 rebound

Merrill didn’t fill up the statsheet, but his return to the lineup played a large role in the offense finally looking like their 2024-25 selves again. His off-ball movement and shooting gravity opened up opportunities for others. That’s why he’s so valuable to this team.

The Cavaliers are now 10-3 when Merrill plays and 6-11 when he doesn’t.

Grade: C+

De’Andre Hunter

27 points, 1 assist, 5 rebounds

This was a step in the right direction. Hunter was the effective scorer the team has needed him to be, and he showed some positive sides on the defensive end of the court.

Hunter badly needed a game like this.

Grade: A

Dean Wade

14 points, 2 assist, 7 rebounds

Wade’s defensive impact remains incredibly important for a team that has gotten blown by on the perimeter far too often. There’s a reason he was a team-leading +18 in the victory.

It also helped that he made some outside shots as he went 4-7 from three.

Grade: A

Nae’Qwan Tomlin

5 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds

Tomlin’s off-ball movement and energy remain incredibly important for a team that can get stagnant in the half-court. His energy was noticeable in the limited time he was on the floor.

Grade: B

Thomas Bryant

10 points, 0 assists, 1 rebound

Bryant is always doing stuff on the court, including tripping while trying to say that his defender is too small.

Thank you, Thomas, for once again providing some entertainment!

Grade: B