THE Cleveland Cavaliers became only the fourth team in NBA story to start a season 15-0 after beating the Charlotte Hornets 128-114 on Sunday night.

After trailing 5-4 just under two minutes into the game, the Cavs then took a double-digit lead and led for the rest of the contest.

Charlotte was able to cut the lead to three late in the third quarter, but Cleveland pulled away again in the fourth to clinch a franchise-record 15th straight victory.

The Cavs are now also tied for the second-best start in NBA history, behind the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors who started the season 24-0 and went on to set a league record 73-9.

The other two teams to start a season 15-0 were the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and the 1948-49 Washington Capitols, according to ESPN.

‘Everyone is showing tons of energy, all over the city of Cleveland,’ Cavs center Jarrett Allen said after the match. “It’s amazing how much Cleveland has embraced us. They come to every game screaming about everything. The city of Cleveland supports us like this.

The Cavs shared the scoring load in the absence of franchise star Donovan Mitchell, who was rested for Sunday’s game.

Darius Garland had 25 points and 12 assists, Ty Jerome 24 points and eight assists, Evan Mobley 23 points and 11 rebounds and Allen 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Next up for the Cavs will be the Boston Celtics, who ousted Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season en route to the championship.

“These are the defending champions and the team that knocked us out last year,” Allen told reporters. “We always wanted to measure ourselves against the best, we always wanted to see where we stand with the best teams in the league.”

Allen later called it “revenge,” adding: “I know they didn’t have certain players and we didn’t have me, so I want to help our team, propel us forward and try to beat them and test where we are with them.

Lamelo Ball scored 31 points for the Hornets, with 12 assists, but was later fined $100,000 by the NBA for language in his postgame interview that the league deemed “offensive and derogatory” .

James Harden passes Ray Allen for second place on the NBA’s all-time three-point list

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden passed Ray Allen to move into second place on the NBA’s all-time three-point list on Sunday in the team’s 116-105 win over the Utah Jazz.

Harden, who entered Sunday night’s game tied with Allen, passed the Hall of Famer after hitting a deep shot with 6:09 left in the first quarter, giving him 2,974 completions in his career.

He’s behind Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who has 3,782 in his career.

“It’s an incredible accomplishment and just a testament to the amount of work I put in,” Harden – who finished the game with 20 points, six rebounds, 11 assists, two steals and two blocks – said after cut. “As I get older and have an amazing career, you start to accomplish things like that, so I never want to take that for granted.”

The 35-year-old tied Allen on Friday in the Clippers’ game against the Houston Rockets, where he played for nine years.

During his time in Houston, Harden amassed 2,029 triples and became the third player in NBA history to make 300 three-pointers in a single season in 2018-19. As a member of the Rockets, Harden was an eight-time All-Star and was named league MVP in 2017-18.

“James has always been a dynamic scorer,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Once he got (to Houston), had his own team and figured out the style he wanted to play (former Rockets coach Mike) D’Antoni, he had it all simply took off. And the three-point shot is one of his major weapons.

After his tenure with the Rockets, Harden played with the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and now the Clippers.

Three-run hitter Julius Randle caps late return to Minnesota

Julius Randle scored a three-pointer to cap a late, wild 120-117 win for the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Phoenix Suns.

Phoenix took a 97-86 lead with 11:12 left in the fourth quarter after a Grayson Allen three-pointer, but Minnesota came roaring back after taking a timeout.

The Timberwolves took the lead for the first time in the game with 1:09 left when a bank shot from Anthony Edwards made it 115-114.

The scores were then tied at 117 when Randle’s moment arrived.

The former New York Knicks star received the inbounds pass and drew attention away from Josh Okogie, before drilling a three-pointer from the sidelines to make the arena wild.

Randle threw his arms in the air as he was swarmed by his teammates.

It was Randle’s best performance in a Timberwolves jersey since the big offseason trade in which Karl-Anthony Towns joins the Knicks.

His 35 points were a team and season high, while he also added four rebounds and seven assists. Edwards had 24 points, four rebounds and six assists.

Devin Booker scored a game-high 44 points for the Suns, who were without injured Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

Sunday’s full scores

Away at Home (winners in bold)

Charlotte Hornets 114-128 Cleveland Cavaliers

Utah Jazz 105-116 Los Angeles Clippers

Phoenix Suns 117-120 Minnesota Timberwolves

Miami Heat 110-119 Indiana Pacers

Detroit Pistons 124-104 Wizards of Washington

Denver Nuggets 90-105 Memphis Grizzlies

Atlanta Falcons 110-114 Portland Trail Blazers

Brooklyn Nets 104-114 New York Knicks

Houston Rockets 143-107 Chicago Bulls

Dallas Mavericks 121-119 Oklahoma City Thunder

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