Final
Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks
135 – 117
2026-27 · Preseason · Preseason
Game state source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 9, 7:08 pm EDTCharlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers
2025-26 · Regular season · All results that day · Charlotte Hornets vs Cleveland Cavaliers head-to-head · Charlotte Hornets schedule · Cleveland Cavaliers schedule
Final
Away
Charlotte Hornets
132
Home
Cleveland Cavaliers
139
Venue: Rocket Arena
Schedule source: whynba · Observed Oct 9, 2026, 06:29 UTC.
Game recap
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Hornets 139-132 at home on Monday, December 22, 2025 at Rocket Arena. Donovan Mitchell had 30 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists for the Cleveland Cavaliers. LaMelo Ball had 23 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists for the Charlotte Hornets.
The Cleveland Cavaliers led 70-63 at halftime. Their best stretch was the second quarter, won 37-27. Double-digit figures in two categories: Darius Garland (double-double, Cleveland Cavaliers). Bench points: Charlotte Hornets 47, Cleveland Cavaliers 56. De'Andre Hunter had 27 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist in support for the winners.
Written by the whynba data desk from the licensed final box score and period scores.
Score source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 9, 2026, 06:29:14 UTC. Source update time is unavailable.
Controls this game's status, scores and reported player statistics only. Other page sections may still update. Pausing lasts until you resume or reload.
Reported player statistics
this may be a partial box score. A dash means unavailable. Zero minutes alone does not establish a DNP designation.
| Player | Team | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/− | Retrieved (UTC) |
|---|
Quick answers
- Who won Charlotte Hornets vs Cleveland Cavaliers?
- The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Hornets 139-132 on December 22, 2025.
- Who led the scoring?
- LaMelo Ball scored 23 for the Charlotte Hornets; Donovan Mitchell scored 30 for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Match dossier
Inside the game
Box score
| Team | q1 | q2 | q3 | q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Hornets | 36 | 27 | 32 | 37 | 132 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 33 | 37 | 34 | 35 | 139 |
Game leaders
Charlotte Hornets
- Points
- 23 LaMelo Ball
- Rebounds
- 14 Moussa Diabate
- Assists
- 9 LaMelo Ball
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Points
- 30 Donovan Mitchell
- Rebounds
- 7 Dean Wade
- Assists
- 10 Darius Garland
Darius Garland double-double (27 PTS, 10 AST)
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG | 3P | FT | PF | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kon Knueppel starter | 30:49 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6-11 | 5-9 | 3-3 | 2 | -19 |
| Miles Bridges starter | 29:33 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6-14 | 0-3 | 5-7 | 0 | -11 |
| Brandon Miller starter | 26:44 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8-13 | 2-4 | 2-3 | 3 | -18 |
| LaMelo Ball starter | 24:24 | 23 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8-16 | 6-10 | 1-1 | 1 | -7 |
| Mason Plumlee starter | 10:00 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | -10 |
| Moussa Diabate bench | 28:24 | 5 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 4 | +8 |
| Tidjane Salaun bench | 21:28 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 2 | -11 |
| Sion James bench | 20:42 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2-5 | 0-2 | 3-4 | 2 | -6 |
| Josh Green bench | 19:30 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 1-2 | 1 | +3 |
| Tre Mann bench | 17:20 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5-13 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 1 | +12 |
| Liam McNeeley bench | 5:33 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 0 | +12 |
| Pat Connaughton bench | 5:33 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0 | +12 |
Not available: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Collin Sexton, Grant Williams
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG | 3P | FT | PF | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darius Garland starter | 30:24 | 27 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9-15 | 5-6 | 4-4 | 4 | +13 |
| Donovan Mitchell starter | 28:43 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10-18 | 6-11 | 4-4 | 5 | +10 |
| Dean Wade starter | 27:54 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4-7 | 4-7 | 2-2 | 0 | +18 |
| Jaylon Tyson starter | 20:02 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0-6 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | -11 |
| Jarrett Allen starter | 19:48 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4-4 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 4 | +4 |
| Sam Merrill bench | 25:56 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-7 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 0 | +6 |
| De'Andre Hunter bench | 25:40 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9-13 | 4-5 | 5-5 | 3 | +9 |
| Lonzo Ball bench | 23:49 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2-5 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 1 | +11 |
| Thomas Bryant bench | 19:39 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4-5 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 1 | -13 |
| NaeQwan Tomlin bench | 12:44 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | -1 |
| Craig Porter bench | 2:55 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | -7 |
| Tyrese Proctor bench | 2:26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | -4 |
Not available: Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Larry Nance Jr., Luke Travers
| Charlotte Hornets | Stat | Cleveland Cavaliers |
|---|---|---|
| 19/25 (76%) | Free throws | 19/19 (100%) |
| 25/52 (48%) | 2 pointers | 24/43 (55%) |
| 21/42 (50%) | 3 pointers | 24/44 (54%) |
| 46/94 (48%) | Field goals | 48/87 (55%) |
| 44 | Rebounds | 30 |
| 27 | Defensive rebounds | 25 |
| 17 | Offensive rebounds | 5 |
| 29 | Assists | 36 |
| 19 | Turnovers | 13 |
| 10 | Steals | 9 |
| 3 | Blocks | 2 |
| 18 | Fouls | 20 |
| 9 | Max points in a row | 8 |
| 6:14 | Time spent in lead | 37:09 |
| 6 | Biggest lead | 19 |
Largest margin: 17 points.
Game flow
- Lead changes
- 10
- Times tied
- 10
- Largest lead · Charlotte Hornets
- 6 Q2 11:17
- Largest lead · Cleveland Cavaliers
- 19 Q4 5:33
- Longest run
- 9-0 Charlotte Hornets · Q1 3:49 to Q1 1:45
Scoring plays
Q1 · 35 scoring plays
| Time left | Team | Play | Charlotte Hornets | Cleveland Cavaliers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:20 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen Free throw | 0 | 1 |
| 11:20 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen Free throw | 0 | 2 |
| 11:04 | Charlotte Hornets | LaMelo Ball 3-pt field goal | 3 | 2 |
| 10:52 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 3-pt field goal | 3 | 5 |
| 10:33 | Charlotte Hornets | LaMelo Ball 3-pt field goal | 6 | 5 |
| 10:22 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 3-pt field goal | 6 | 8 |
| 10:08 | Charlotte Hornets | Mason Plumlee 2-pt field goal | 8 | 8 |
| 10:08 | Charlotte Hornets | Mason Plumlee Free throw | 9 | 8 |
| 10:01 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland Free throw | 9 | 9 |
| 10:01 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland Free throw | 9 | 10 |
| 9:45 | Charlotte Hornets | Miles Bridges Free throw | 10 | 10 |
| 9:22 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 10 | 13 |
| 9:05 | Charlotte Hornets | LaMelo Ball 3-pt field goal | 13 | 13 |
| 8:48 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 13 | 16 |
| 8:17 | Charlotte Hornets | Brandon Miller 2-pt field goal | 15 | 16 |
| 8:07 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen 2-pt field goal | 15 | 18 |
| 7:53 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell Free throw | 15 | 19 |
| 7:53 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell Free throw | 15 | 20 |
| 7:40 | Charlotte Hornets | Kon Knueppel 2-pt field goal | 17 | 20 |
| 7:25 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen 2-pt field goal | 17 | 22 |
| 6:35 | Charlotte Hornets | Sion James 2-pt field goal | 19 | 22 |
| 5:44 | Charlotte Hornets | Miles Bridges 2-pt field goal | 21 | 22 |
| 5:24 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter 2-pt field goal | 21 | 24 |
| 5:02 | Charlotte Hornets | Sion James Free throw | 22 | 24 |
| 4:55 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter 3-pt field goal | 22 | 27 |
| 4:22 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Thomas Bryant 2-pt field goal | 22 | 29 |
| 4:02 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter 2-pt field goal | 22 | 31 |
| 3:49 | Charlotte Hornets | Josh Green 3-pt field goal | 25 | 31 |
| 3:14 | Charlotte Hornets | Sion James 2-pt field goal | 27 | 31 |
| 2:46 | Charlotte Hornets | Tre Mann 3-pt field goal | 30 | 31 |
| 1:45 | Charlotte Hornets | Josh Green Free throw | 31 | 31 |
| 1:37 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter Free throw | 31 | 32 |
| 1:37 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter Free throw | 31 | 33 |
| 1:22 | Charlotte Hornets | Tidjane Salaun 2-pt field goal | 33 | 33 |
| 0:50 | Charlotte Hornets | Kon Knueppel 3-pt field goal | 36 | 33 |
Q2 · 27 scoring plays
| Time left | Team | Play | Charlotte Hornets | Cleveland Cavaliers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:17 | Charlotte Hornets | Kon Knueppel 3-pt field goal | 39 | 33 |
| 11:05 | Cleveland Cavaliers | NaeQwan Tomlin 3-pt field goal | 39 | 36 |
| 10:39 | Charlotte Hornets | Kon Knueppel 3-pt field goal | 42 | 36 |
| 10:00 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 42 | 39 |
| 9:34 | Charlotte Hornets | Mason Plumlee 2-pt field goal | 44 | 39 |
| 9:21 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 44 | 41 |
| 9:04 | Charlotte Hornets | LaMelo Ball 3-pt field goal | 47 | 41 |
| 8:47 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Lonzo Ball 3-pt field goal | 47 | 44 |
| 8:21 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter 3-pt field goal | 47 | 47 |
| 7:35 | Cleveland Cavaliers | NaeQwan Tomlin 2-pt field goal | 47 | 49 |
| 6:58 | Charlotte Hornets | Brandon Miller 2-pt field goal | 49 | 49 |
| 5:42 | Charlotte Hornets | Brandon Miller 3-pt field goal | 52 | 49 |
| 5:33 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Sam Merrill 2-pt field goal | 52 | 51 |
| 4:40 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen 2-pt field goal | 52 | 53 |
| 3:57 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 2-pt field goal | 52 | 55 |
| 3:29 | Charlotte Hornets | Moussa Diabate Free throw | 53 | 55 |
| 3:29 | Charlotte Hornets | Tre Mann 3-pt field goal | 55 | 55 |
| 3:15 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 2-pt field goal | 56 | 57 |
| 3:15 | Charlotte Hornets | Kon Knueppel Free throw | 57 | 57 |
| 2:41 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dean Wade 3-pt field goal | 57 | 60 |
| 2:07 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 3-pt field goal | 57 | 63 |
| 1:23 | Charlotte Hornets | Kon Knueppel 3-pt field goal | 60 | 63 |
| 0:57 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 60 | 65 |
| 0:28 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 2-pt field goal | 60 | 67 |
| 0:08 | Charlotte Hornets | LaMelo Ball 2-pt field goal | 62 | 67 |
| 0:08 | Charlotte Hornets | LaMelo Ball Free throw | 63 | 67 |
| 0:00 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 63 | 70 |
Q3 · 32 scoring plays
| Time left | Team | Play | Charlotte Hornets | Cleveland Cavaliers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:39 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 63 | 72 |
| 11:39 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell Free throw | 63 | 73 |
| 11:12 | Charlotte Hornets | LaMelo Ball 3-pt field goal | 66 | 73 |
| 10:16 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 3-pt field goal | 66 | 76 |
| 9:55 | Charlotte Hornets | LaMelo Ball 3-pt field goal | 69 | 76 |
| 9:31 | Charlotte Hornets | Brandon Miller 2-pt field goal | 71 | 76 |
| 9:31 | Charlotte Hornets | Brandon Miller Free throw | 72 | 76 |
| 8:56 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Thomas Bryant 2-pt field goal | 72 | 78 |
| 8:29 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 2-pt field goal | 72 | 80 |
| 8:06 | Charlotte Hornets | Miles Bridges 2-pt field goal | 74 | 80 |
| 7:27 | Charlotte Hornets | Kon Knueppel Free throw | 75 | 80 |
| 7:27 | Charlotte Hornets | Kon Knueppel Free throw | 76 | 80 |
| 6:47 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland 3-pt field goal | 76 | 83 |
| 6:33 | Charlotte Hornets | Moussa Diabate 2-pt field goal | 78 | 83 |
| 6:19 | Charlotte Hornets | Miles Bridges 2-pt field goal | 80 | 83 |
| 5:59 | Charlotte Hornets | Sion James Free throw | 81 | 83 |
| 5:59 | Charlotte Hornets | Sion James Free throw | 82 | 83 |
| 5:12 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Thomas Bryant 3-pt field goal | 82 | 86 |
| 4:57 | Charlotte Hornets | Brandon Miller Free throw | 83 | 86 |
| 4:40 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Sam Merrill 2-pt field goal | 83 | 88 |
| 4:18 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter 2-pt field goal | 83 | 90 |
| 3:39 | Charlotte Hornets | Moussa Diabate 2-pt field goal | 85 | 90 |
| 3:21 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 85 | 93 |
| 3:12 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter Free throw | 85 | 94 |
| 3:12 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter Free throw | 85 | 95 |
| 2:54 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter 3-pt field goal | 85 | 98 |
| 2:32 | Charlotte Hornets | Brandon Miller 2-pt field goal | 87 | 98 |
| 2:07 | Charlotte Hornets | Brandon Miller 3-pt field goal | 90 | 98 |
| 1:50 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 3-pt field goal | 90 | 101 |
| 0:59 | Charlotte Hornets | Josh Green 3-pt field goal | 93 | 101 |
| 0:31 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Thomas Bryant 3-pt field goal | 93 | 104 |
| 0:10 | Charlotte Hornets | Brandon Miller 2-pt field goal | 95 | 104 |
Q4 · 38 scoring plays
| Time left | Team | Play | Charlotte Hornets | Cleveland Cavaliers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:47 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell 2-pt field goal | 95 | 106 |
| 11:47 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Donovan Mitchell Free throw | 95 | 107 |
| 11:22 | Charlotte Hornets | LaMelo Ball 2-pt field goal | 97 | 107 |
| 11:13 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter 2-pt field goal | 97 | 109 |
| 11:13 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter Free throw | 97 | 110 |
| 11:01 | Charlotte Hornets | Miles Bridges 2-pt field goal | 99 | 110 |
| 10:42 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter 2-pt field goal | 99 | 112 |
| 10:32 | Charlotte Hornets | Miles Bridges Free throw | 100 | 112 |
| 10:03 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dean Wade 3-pt field goal | 100 | 115 |
| 9:28 | Cleveland Cavaliers | De'Andre Hunter 3-pt field goal | 100 | 118 |
| 9:14 | Charlotte Hornets | Kon Knueppel 3-pt field goal | 103 | 118 |
| 8:52 | Charlotte Hornets | Miles Bridges 2-pt field goal | 105 | 118 |
| 8:52 | Charlotte Hornets | Miles Bridges Free throw | 106 | 118 |
| 8:39 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen Free throw | 106 | 119 |
| 8:39 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen Free throw | 106 | 120 |
| 7:57 | Charlotte Hornets | Brandon Miller 2-pt field goal | 108 | 120 |
| 7:17 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dean Wade 3-pt field goal | 108 | 123 |
| 7:05 | Charlotte Hornets | Miles Bridges 2-pt field goal | 110 | 123 |
| 6:36 | Charlotte Hornets | Miles Bridges Free throw | 111 | 123 |
| 6:36 | Charlotte Hornets | Miles Bridges Free throw | 112 | 123 |
| 6:22 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Lonzo Ball 3-pt field goal | 112 | 126 |
| 5:55 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dean Wade Free throw | 112 | 127 |
| 5:55 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dean Wade Free throw | 112 | 128 |
| 5:33 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dean Wade 3-pt field goal | 112 | 131 |
| 5:03 | Charlotte Hornets | Tre Mann 2-pt field goal | 114 | 131 |
| 4:08 | Charlotte Hornets | Liam McNeeley 2-pt field goal | 116 | 131 |
| 3:39 | Charlotte Hornets | Pat Connaughton 3-pt field goal | 119 | 131 |
| 3:24 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Jarrett Allen 2-pt field goal | 119 | 133 |
| 3:03 | Charlotte Hornets | Tre Mann 2-pt field goal | 121 | 133 |
| 2:55 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland Free throw | 121 | 134 |
| 2:55 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Darius Garland Free throw | 121 | 135 |
| 2:36 | Charlotte Hornets | Josh Green 3-pt field goal | 124 | 135 |
| 2:17 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Tyrese Proctor 2-pt field goal | 124 | 137 |
| 1:18 | Charlotte Hornets | Tre Mann 3-pt field goal | 127 | 137 |
| 1:00 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Craig Porter 2-pt field goal | 127 | 139 |
| 0:41 | Charlotte Hornets | Liam McNeeley 3-pt field goal | 130 | 139 |
| 0:11 | Charlotte Hornets | Liam McNeeley Free throw | 131 | 139 |
| 0:11 | Charlotte Hornets | Liam McNeeley Free throw | 132 | 139 |
2025-26 season series
After this game: tied 1-1. Final series: Cleveland Cavaliers 3-1.
- Dec 14: Charlotte Hornets 119 at Cleveland Cavaliers 111
- Dec 22: Charlotte Hornets 132 at Cleveland Cavaliers 139 (this game)
- Jan 21: Cleveland Cavaliers 94 at Charlotte Hornets 87
- Feb 20: Cleveland Cavaliers 118 at Charlotte Hornets 113
Highlights
Game statistics · retrieved Oct 9, 2026 02:29.
Tipoff and venue can change. Game times: Eastern Time.
Tipoff in UTC
Dec 23, 2025 · 00:00 UTC