Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives into Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points and the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers rallied for their 13th straight victory, 118-117 over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

Darius Garland added 20 points to help the Cavaliers improve to 53-10. Evan Mobley scored 19 points, De’Andre Hunter had 15, Jarrett Allen 14 and Sam Merrill 12.

Miles Bridges scored 46 points for Charlotte. His shot from halfcourt at the buzzer was off the mark.

Cleveland led 67-54 early in the second half and was up 87-83 after three quarters. Charlotte rallied with a 21-8 run for a 104-95 lead with 5:41 to play.

The Cavaliers responded by outscoring the Hornets 25-15 to end the game. Hunter’s contested follow shot with 43 seconds left gave Cleveland the lead for good at 112-110.

Takeaways

Cavaliers: Cleveland has had three winning streaks of 12 or more games this season, the first time that has happened since the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks.

Key moment

After Cleveland took the lead for good at 112-110, Hunter’s defensive pressure forced Bridges into a fumble on his drive into the lane with 21.6 seconds left.

Key stat

Cleveland was 43 of 51 on free throws. And Donovan Mitchell, who accounted for six of the eight misses, converted nine straight before missing his last two (with 4.8 seconds left) to finish 12 of 18 overall.

Up next

The Cavaliers are at Milwaukee on Sunday.