Final-second drama: Cavs cling on for 13th straight win

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Final-second drama: Cavs cling on for 13th straight win

The NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers have rallied for their 13th straight victory, with Donovan Mitchell scoring 24 points to help his side prevail 118-117 over the Charlotte Hornets.

Darius Garland added 20 points in Charlotte to help the Cavaliers improve to 53-10.

Miles Bridges scored a career-high 46 points for Charlotte, who suffered their ninth consecutive loss and fell to 14-48.

Bridges had a chance to snatch what would have been a remarkable victory in the final second, but his shot from halfcourt at the buzzer was off the mark.

Cleveland have had three winning streaks of 12 or more games this season, the first time it has happened in the NBA since the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks.

LaMelo Ball, who played an NBL season with the Illawarra Hawks before graduating to the NBA, tallied 13 points and seven assists before fouling out.

Bridges made 15 of 32 shots from the field and 12 of 13 free throws, but he committed a turnover in the final minute that helped Cleveland secure the win.

Bridges’ three-pointer with 8.1 seconds left gave the Hornets a chance, narrowing the gap to 116-115.

After Mitchell and Bridges exchanged two made free throws, Mitchell missed 1 of 2 with 4.1 seconds left before Bridges’ last-gasp heave.

Cleveland led 67-54 early in the second half and were up 87-83 after three quarters, while 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.

The Dallas Mavericks, playing their second game since losing Kyrie Irving to a season-ending knee injury, made only one field goal in the final seven minutes while crashing to a 122-111 loss to Memphis.

Ja Morant scored 31 points, including the game’s final seven, and Desmond Bane had 27 points and a career-high 16 rebounds for the visiting Grizzlies.

Reserve Brandon Williams scored a career-high 31 points and Naji Marshall had career bests with 29 points and 17 rebounds for the Mavericks, who have lost four consecutive games and six of their past seven.

Dante Exum banked a brilliant three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Mavericks a 94-89 lead entering the fourth quarter, but the visitors were far too good in the final term.

Meanwhile, the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder trumped the Portland Trail Blazers 107-89 at home in arguably their most unlikely win of the season.

Aaron Wiggins scored 30 points and Jaylin Williams delivered his first career triple-double to lift the shorthanded Thunder.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (rest), Jalen Williams (right wrist sprain), Chet Holmgren (right lower leg contusion), Luguentz Dort (right knee soreness), and Isaiah Hartenstein (nasal fracture reinjury) were all missing for Oklahoma City.

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