NBA: Charlotte Hornets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Charlotte Hornets and the Cleveland Cavaliers meet in Ohio on Wednesday night, promising a very good and exciting game. The guests from North Carolina aren’t in some particular form, while on the other side, the Cavs are posting mixed results lately, but with a tendency for deteriorating. For the moment, they are in the playoff zone but need to start winning right away, otherwise, the rivals could quickly jump over them in the next few days. As for the Hornets, they are 10th in the East and still have some chances to reach the spot that directly leads to the playoffs. However, to do that, some massive winning streak is imperative. 

Preview

Charlotte Hornets (30-33, TBA) have only two wins in the last 11 games, and this negative streak is the main reason for their fall in the standings. Though, we need to say that three of the previous four defeats were after overtime. Luck wasn’t on their side, and sometimes that is a crucial factor in one event. 

Milwaukee smashed the Hornets in the last contest, 130-106, not allowing them to have the slightest chance of avoiding a defeat in this event. Charlotte had a massive slump in the second period, once Bucks rolled over them, 44-21, and after that routinely kept the lead until the end.

LaMelo had 24 points, with only two assists, Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre both added 17, while Miles Bridges had 14 points. 

Cleveland Cavaliers (36-25, TBA) are still far above all the expectations, despite winning only one event in the past five. They have big problems with injuries, but still somehow manage to keep pace with the best teams in the East.

J. B. Bickerstaff’s unit had its last game against the Timberwolves two nights ago at home, and they lost that one 127-122. This meeting could have gone either way, but Karl-Anthony Towns hit a clutch three that eventually broke Cleveland’s resistance. 

Veteran Kevin Love led the hosts with 26 points off the bench in 26 minutes played, with five threes and boards and four assists. Jarrett Allen had 21 buckets and eight boards, the same as Cedi Osman, who came off the bench. Brandon Goodwin and Evan Mobley had double-doubles, Goodwin 17 points and 12 assists, while Moble dropped 15 buckets and ten rebounds. 

Head to Head Games

This is the fourth meeting between these teams this season. The first was in Cleveland, and the Hornets were more successful, 123-112. Now the following two contests were in Charlotte, and the Cavs narrowly won in both of them, 113-110, and 102-101.  Tough, but sweet triumphs.

Prediction

The Cavaliers will have a massive advantage under and around the rim, with several frontcourt players all much better than their counterparts on the other side. If the Cavs managed to go toe to toe with the Timberwolves, who have a much more dangerous backcourt than the Hornets, we believe they will win this despite not having Garland and Rondo available. So our pick in this one is the hosts to post a victory and get back on the winning track.

Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers win

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