CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs reminded everyone how their offense is supposed to look when the gears are aligned, when the ball has a purpose, and when the backcourt is healthy enough to dictate terms instead of reacting to them. That display came in a 139-132 demolition of the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night at Rocket Arena.

Cleveland moved closer to full strength and it showed immediately, rolling back into the win column with authority. This is expected against a lower-tier opponent when the Cavs’ identity is intact. They led for more than 30 minutes, stretched the margin to 19 in the fourth quarter and played with an offensive clarity that had been missing for weeks.

It felt familiar because it was familiar.

The Cavs’ offense has always revolved around the gravity of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.

Last season, that formula produced one of the most efficient offenses the NBA has ever seen, not because Cleveland overwhelmed teams with size or brute force, but because its guards bent the floor until it snapped. Monday night was a reminder of how devastating that equation can be.

The lineup that best captured it featured Mitchell, Garland and Sam Merrill sharing the floor, who was making his return after a month-long absence due to a right hand injury.

That trio forces defenses into impossible math.

They cannot load up on Mitchell without Garland slicing into the paint. They cannot tag Garland’s drives without Merrill relocating behind the play. And they cannot hug Merrill without leaving someone else downhill with an advantage, even if the sharpshooter isn’t knocking down shots. Every choice is wrong.

Garland and Mitchell made Charlotte pay early. They combined for 35 of Cleveland’s 70 first-half points and accounted for nine of the team’s 17 assists through two quarters. The ball did not stick. The reads were early. The floor was spaced correctly. That alone made the Cavs look like a different team.

Then came the bonus layer.

De’Andre Hunter, moved back to a bench role after spending most of the season starting, provided the secondary scoring Cleveland has badly needed. Hunter scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the first half, attacking closeouts instead of settling and firing with confidence when the ball swung his way. He finished with 27 points and six 3-pointers, a season-high, and topped 15 points for the first time all month.

The defense, however, is still a work in progress.

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Charlotte scored 63 first-half points despite ranking 20th in offensive efficiency entering the night.

The Hornets’ ball movement forced Cleveland into rotation after rotation, and too often the Cavs were a half-step late. Charlotte assisted on 15 of its 22 made field goals in the opening half, pinging the ball side to side and keeping Cleveland’s heads on a swivel. The Hornets finished with 29 assists on 44 makes and scored over 130 points against a Cavs team with a desire to be top 5 defensively.

That is the trade-off that comes with this roster. The Cavs are not built to suffocate teams defensively every night. They are built to outscore them with precision and pace.

When Garland (27 points, 10 assists and five rebounds) and Mitchell (30 points and five assists) both play at an All-Star level, that trade-off is usually worth it.

This was just the third time all season the backcourt duo scored at least 20 points each in the same game. They also combined for double-digit assists. When those two are cooking together, everyone else can operate a step ahead of the defense.

That is why they work together. Garland’s ability to collapse a defense creates oxygen for Mitchell. Mitchell’s shot-making and strength prevent teams from overcommitting to Garland. Their gravity multiplies rather than overlaps.

The Cavs’ teammates handled the rest. Lonzo Ball and Dean Wade cleaned up defensive possessions, rotated early and absorbed the tougher assignments. Merrill sprinted the floor and never stopped moving. Hunter punished mistakes. Everyone played a role that made sense.

Wade put the nail in Charlotte’s coffin in the final period. He scored 11 of his 14 points in the frame on three triples while continuing to man the defensive end of the floor.

Monday night was not about perfection. It was about taking a step in the right direction before the schedule gets tough over the holiday season.

The offense goes where Garland and Mitchell take it. On Monday night, they took it exactly where it was always meant to go.

Next

The Cavs finish their three-game homestand at Rocket Arena with the second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans.