CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ LeBron James didn't seem worried about an emotional letdown after the Cavaliers' 23-point comeback victory over the New York Knicks on Monday.
The Charlotte Hornets brought a four-game losing streak into the ESPN-televised game Wednesday night at Spectrum Center, seemingly not enough to inspire the feast-or-famine Cavs.
"We're on national television so we've got enough motivation. We never want to be nasty on television, so that's enough," James said at shootaround.
James had the stats to back that up. The Cavs had previously played four games on TNT or ESPN this season and James had averaged 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Included in that was a franchise-tying 57 points at Washington on Nov. 3.
But in the last of a four-game road trip, the Cavs' attention spans waned in the first half against the Hornets.
One thing James didn't count on was foul trouble _ a rarity in his career _ but with the second unit again carrying a big load, the Cavs managed to survive. With a 115-107 victory over the Hornets, they won their third consecutive game for the first time this season and concluded the trip with a 3-1 record.
The Cavs (8-7) held the Hornets to 40 points in the second half, two off the season-low of 38.
James finished with 31 points, six rebounds and eight assists in 37 minutes. Kevin Love added 22 points and 10 rebounds, giving him four double-doubles in his last five games against the Hornets.
The Cavs bench contributed 40 points, with Jeff Green scoring 13 points with seven rebounds, Kyle Korver adding 11 points, Channing Frye contributing nine points with eight rebounds and Dwyane Wade scoring seven points with seven rebounds and five assists.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 22 points with six rebounds and Kemba Walker had 20 points, five rebounds and seven assists for the Hornets (5-8), who entered the night with a 4-1 home record.
James picked up two fouls in a span of 53 seconds in the third quarter, with Walker and Kidd-Gilchrist drawing charges. James had been giving official Derrick Stafford an earful much of the game. But on the Kidd-Gilchrist call with 3:31 left in the period, James quickly handed the ball to a referee and ran downcourt to avoid unleashing his wrath on Stafford.
James sat out the rest of the third, re-entering with 8:58 to play.
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue relied heavily on the lineup of Korver, Wade, Green, Iman Shumpert and Frye, the group that engineered the comeback against the Knicks. Wade ran the point and threw his body around as well, landing seated in the front row after attempting to save a ball out of bounds with 10:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
That unit opened up a 95-86 lead in the final period.
The Hornets poured in 67 points in the first half, one shy of the most the Cavs have allowed this season. The Hornets shot 54 percent from the field in the first two periods despite going 4-for-14 from long range.
The Cavs didn't help their cause by lapsing into some of the ill-advised 3-point attempts that got them into trouble against the Knicks. The Cavs hit 1-of-11 from beyond the arc in the second quarter.
James came out of the gate on fire, scoring 14 points in the first quarter. He hit 5-of-7 field goals, his only 3-point attempt and all three of his free throws. His first 12 minutes included three coast-to-coast layups, one going for an and-one.
But after jumping ahead 19-6, a surge that included seven points each by James and Love, the Cavs got lazy. They committed three consecutive turnovers and the Hornets scored off all of them, starting a 13-0 run that tied the game at 19 with 5:14 left in the first quarter.
The Cavs still led 36-30 after one quarter, shooting 52 percent from the field and 56 percent from 3-point range.
The Hornets got guard Nicolas Batum back after he missed the season's first 12 games with a sprained left elbow and he made an immediate impact. Batum scored the Hornets' first six points, totaled 15 in the first half and finished with 16.
