The Cleveland Cavaliers also won their 15th game of the season in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team from Ohio celebrated a 128:114 home win against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday (local time).
The Cavaliers are the first club since the Golden State Warriors in 2016 and only the fourth in NBA history to win the first 15 games of a season. The Warriors set the record eight years ago with 24 wins at the start. The Cavaliers are at the top of the Eastern Conference by a large margin. The reigning champions Boston Celtics follow in second place.
Things are completely different for the Washington Wizards, who lost at home to the Detroit Pistons 104:124 and thus suffered their eighth defeat in a row. In the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks caused the Oklahoma City Thunder to suffer their third defeat of the season even without the injured Luka Doncic. In the 121:119 win, Doncic’s replacement PJ Washington impressed with 27 points and 17 rebounds, and Kyrie Irving had 23 points.
Interview costs NBA star $100,000
The NBA has meanwhile fined Hornets professional LaMelo Ball a maximum fine of $100,000 (around 95,000 euros) because of his choice of words in an interview. The league responded to statements made by the 23-year-old following the 115:114 win against the Milwaukee Bucks the day before. Ball used an “insulting and derogatory” expression, the statement said. Ball had said an anti-gay word when he was asked to explain how they had defended the opponent’s last move.
Ball commented on the situation following the loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. “Before we start, I would like to talk about my comment yesterday,” he said to the journalists. “I didn’t think anything of it and I don’t want to offend anyone. I love everyone and I don’t discriminate,” said the basketball player.
More about this in National Basketball Association 2024/25
