CAVS WIN DESPITE INJURY PROBLEMS

CLEVELAND» Jordan Clarkson scored 24 points, Tristan Thompson had 21 rebounds and 11 points, and the injury-riddled Cavaliers won for the second time this season, beating the Hornets 113-89 on Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers (2-11) broke a five-game losing streak. Cleveland’s first win came against Atlanta on Oct. 30.

Kemba Walker, the league’s third-leading scorer, was held to a season-low seven points and was 2 for 16 from the field. The Hornets star guard was averaging 27.9 points going into the game.

Rodney Hood scored 16 points for Cleveland, which built a double-figure lead midway through the first quarter and maintained that the rest of the game. Rookie point guard Collin Sexton scored 16 points and had five assists. David Nwaba scored 18 points off the bench.

Jeremy Lamb scored 22 points for Charlotte. The Hornets were 33 for 95 from the field and hit 8 of 41 of their 3-point attempts.

Cleveland has seen its injury list get longer while the losses piled up. Forwards Kyle Korver (sore right foot) and Cedi Osman (back spasms) didn’t play Tuesday.

All-star forward Kevin Love (foot surgery), starting point guard George Hill (hamstring) and forward Sam Dekker (ankle) have also been sidelined.

The Cavaliers are only a month into the season, but even holding practice is a challenge. Coach Larry Drew said one of the Cavaliers’ assistant coaches had to fill in at Monday’s session so the team could scrimmage because only nine healthy players were available.