The [Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.fearthesword.com) enjoyed a no-sweat win over the Charlotte Hornets, led by a career-best performance from Evan Mobley.
Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
### **Evan Mobley**
_41 points (16-23 shooting), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 1 steal_
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Mobley just put together one of the most all-around dominant games he’s ever had.
Mobley opened with a bang, canning five three-pointers in the first quarter for 21 points. He finished with six three-pointers, doubling his previous career-high for a single game. He’s now shooting 9-of-11 from deep across his previous two games.
The Hornets had no answer for Mobley. When he wasn’t burying triples — he was burying them in the paint. It was the culimination of the first quarter of the season where Mobley is taking full advantage of any mismatch in front of him. Today was perhaps the most aggressive he’s ever been.
#### _**Grade: A++**_
### **Donovan Mitchell**
_18 points (6-12 shooting), 8 assists, 8 rebounds_
The Cavaliers didn’t require a massive scoring night from Mitchell. Even if Mobley _hadn’t_ been rolling — the Hornets were facing an uphill battle that wouldn’t ask much of Mitchell to fend off. Knowing this, Mitchell played into his role as the “Mobley whisperer.”
Mitchell recorded 6 assists in the first quarter, all to Mobley. He force fed Mobley constant looks to push him as far out of his comfort zone as possible. Mitchell eventually began establishing himself as a scorer, putting together multiple three-pointers in the 4th quarter to finish off the Hornets.
#### _**Grade: B**_
### **Darius Garland**
_18 points (7-16 shooting), 5 assists, 2 rebounds_
Similar to Mitchell, Garland took a backseat tonight. Though, he was even more reserved as the Mitchell/Mobley two-man game really took centerstage.
Garland has been great all season, save one game against Boston. Today he stayed in control, converting a floater near the end of the fourth quarter just when Charlotte was starting to feel they had a chance. His 1-7 shooting from deep could have been better, though.
#### _**Grade: B-**_
### **Jarrett Allen**
_11 points (4-8 shooting), 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 blocks_
Allen began the game strong, scoring 6 points and dishing 2 assists in the opening quarter. As you probably guessed — Mobley’s performance eventually overshadowed anything Allen had going.
This isn’t a bad thing. When you have a team as deep as the Cavaliers, the game won’t always call for Allen to be aggressive on offense. But he remains walking double-double and played a fine defensive game against (albeit a lackluster) Hornets squad.
#### _**Grade: C+**_
### **Caris LeVert**
_7 points (2-3 shooting), 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block_
It felt like LeVert couldn't miss from downtown against Denver. Today, his only miss of the game was from deep. It was a much more reserved performance from LeVert who wasn’t super noticeable one way or another in his 24 minutes.
#### _**Grade: C**_
### **Sam Merrill**
_6 points (2-6 shooting), 1 rebound_
Merrill airballed an open three-pointer in this game. That should tell you all you need to know.
In fairness, his timely cuts to the basket led to all six of his points. And, he played hard on defense despite Charlotte shooting over the top of him for a few difficult mid-range jumpers. Still, Merrill isn’t out there to shoot 0-3 from deep.
#### _**Grade: C-**_
### **Georges Niang**
_3 points (1-2 shooting), 6 rebounds, 3 assists_
Niang won’t always have it going from behind the arch. So any game in which he gives you six rebounds is a good one. It wasn’t his most impactful, but Niang cleaned the boards and delivered a nice drop-off pass to Merrill on a cut during the second half.
#### _**Grade: C+**_
### **Ty Jerome**
_5 points (2-5 shooting), 3 rebounds_
Jerome is still searching for a touch of the magic he enjoyed to begin the season. He hasn’t been the same since suffering from an illness a few weeks ago. Hopefully, he’ll return to a baseline level of production at some point soon. At this rate, he’s a farcry from the Sixth Man of the Year contender he was just a month ago.
#### _**Grade: D**_
**Dean Wade**
_7 points (2-8 shooting), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals_
Wade returned to the starting lineup today and turned in a pretty standard Dean Wade game. He was great on defense (three steals) and actually attempted six three-pointers despite not shooting the ball particularly well. Volume will always be a focal point for Wade so at least he checked this box.
Three assists also shows Wade’s involvement in the offense. Four boards is a nice stat, as well, considering Wade only played 24 minutes.
#### _**Grade: B**_