Steve Clifford wins final game as Charlotte coach, Hornets beat playoff
CLEVELAND (AP) — Nick Smith Jr. scored a season-high 24 points and Steve Clifford won his coaching farewell as the Charlotte Hornets rallied to beat the playoff-bound Cleveland Cavaliers 120-110 on Sunday.
Max Strus had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for his first career triple-double for Cleveland, which rested All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, point guard Darius Garland and sixth man Caris LeVert.
The Cavaliers finished fourth in the East and will have home-court advantage against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs. They locked up a top-four finish Friday by beating Indiana, but lost 12 of their final 19 regular-season games to wind up 48-34.
“Orlando is a young team and they’re going to be fighting for a lot, so we have to come in with the mentality to throw the first punch,” Cleveland center Jarrett Allen said. “We need to lock in, watch our film and do everything we can to prepare for the playoffs.”