LaMelo Ball Held Scoreless in NBA Debut as Terry Rozier, Hornets Fall to Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers spoiled the NBA debut of LaMelo Ball, pulling out a 121-114 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Wednesday.

Cleveland came out on top despite missing Kevin Love, Kevin Porter Jr., Dante Exum and Matthew Dellavedova.

The Cavs broke the game wide open in the second quarter, outscoring the Hornets 41-21 to take a 21-point halftime lead. Charlotte clawed its way back a bit in the third quarter but couldn't maintain that in the final frame as the home team kept the Hornets at a safe distance.

Terry Rozier's career-high 42 points weren't enough. Thirty-six of those points came in the second half. Rozier carried the offense in the fourth quarter, helping get Charlotte to within single digits in the final minutes.

The comeback attempt came too late to impact the outcome.

Notable Performers

Collin Sexton, PG, Cavaliers: 27 points (9-16 FG; 3-4 3PT), five assists, two rebounds

Darius Garland, PG, Cavaliers: 22 points (7-13 FG, 4-8 3PT), six rebounds, six assists, one steal

Andre Drummond, C, Cavaliers: 14 points (7-18 FG; 0-1 3PT), 14 rebounds, four assists, one steal

Terry Rozier, PG, Hornets: 42 points (15-23 FG; 10-16 3PT), three rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block

Gordon Hayward, SF, Hornets: 28 points (11-18 FG; 4-8 3PT), seven assists, four rebounds, one steal

LaMelo Ball, PG, Hornets: zero points (0-5 FG; 0-3 3PT), three assists, two steals, one rebound

Sexton Picks up Where He Left Off

Because it was so long ago, it's easy to forget Collin Sexton was averaging 25.5 points and shooting 40.2 percent from three-point range in 11 games after the 2020 All-Star break.

Whatever the 21-year-old did in the offseason to build on his finish to 2019-20 is paying off. Sexton was the standout player offensively for Cleveland.

The work of Sexton's backcourt counterpart will be even more encouraging. Darius Garland struggled mightily as a rookie and was far more comfortable running the offense Wednesday night.

Garland's six assists came with just two turnovers.

In general, the Cavaliers haven't been fun to watch because they've not only been very bad but also failed to show much in the way of promise. You couldn't determine whether anybody on the roster was worth building around.

Now, Cleveland might be trending in a positive direction while still probably winding up in the lottery when all is said and done.

This was a far cry from opening night last season, when the Cavs could only muster 85 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic.

Ball Endures Debut to Forget

No rookie carries more buzz than Ball, but Wednesday drove home how the 19-year-old is likely to endure some growing pains. In addition to dealing with the adjustment to the NBA, he has to fight for minutes in a backcourt that has two solid guards in Rozier and Devonte' Graham.

Hornets fans will have to take the good with the bad when it comes to Ball early on.

Charlotte's other big offseason acquisition delivered. A finger injury initially put Gordon Hayward's status in flux before the 2017 All-Star made it clear Tuesday he intended to suit up.

If the injury was still bothering Hayward, he didn't show it as he helped anchor the Hornets offense. This was the kind of performance the team is regularly looking to get from him.

While head coach James Borrego will be disappointed by his squad's collective effort, he should chalk this up as a bad night at the office. Hayward and Rozier were enough to provide some optimism from an otherwise forgettable loss.

What's Next?

The Cavs and Hornets are both back in action Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Cleveland hits the road to play the Detroit Pistons, and Charlotte hosts the Oklahoma City Thunder.