CHARLOTTE, N.C.: For a Cavaliers team that on Wednesday got its injury-plagued starting five back on the court together for the first time since Dec. 17, the scary moments just keep on coming.
J.R. Smith, Kevin Love and LeBron James survived a blindsiding pick, a rebound entanglement and an eye poke, respectively, as the defending champions fought and scrapped against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night in the Spectrum Center.
Although they found the effort they had been lacking in the previous game, the Cavs went down to the wire with the 11th-place team in the Eastern Conference before pulling out a 112-105 victory.