The Cleveland Cavaliers (31-21) head to the Spectrum Center Friday to play the Charlotte Hornets (28-24) at 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Cavaliers vs. Hornets odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Cleveland was upset 115-104 by the Rockets in Houston as 5-point road favorites Wednesday. Over the past two weeks, the Cavs are 4-2 straight up (SU) but just 1-5 against the spread (ATS).
Charlotte has lost back-to-back games over the Los Angeles Clippers (115-90 Sunday) and at the Boston Celtics (113-107 Tuesday). The Hornets are 3-4 SU and ATS in the last 14 days.
These teams split the first two meetings this season 1-1 SU and ATS with the road team winning and covering both. Each Cavaliers-Hornets contest this season has gone Over the total.
Cavaliers at Hornets odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:30 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Cavaliers +165 (bet $100 to win $165) | Hornets -205 (bet $205 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Cavaliers +4.5 (-105) | Hornets -4.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 216.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Cavaliers at Hornets key injuries
Cavaliers
- PG Darius Garland (back) out
- PF Lauri Markkanen (ankle) out
Hornets
- SF Gordon Hayward (reconditioning) questionable
- SF Jalen McDaniels (ankle) out
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Cavaliers at Hornets odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Hornets 108, Cavaliers 106
Money line
PASS.
Heavy “lean” towards the Cavs (+165) because I like Cleveland plus the points, and I’ll sometimes sprinkle on an underdog’s money line when betting them to cover.
However, my favorite play in this contest is the OVER so I’d prefer to save my bankroll for that wager.
Against the spread
“LEAN” to the CAVALIERS +4.5 (-105).
Both teams are far more profitable as underdogs. In fact, Cleveland is 18-8-1 against the spread (ATS) as an underdog with a plus-6.8 ATS margin.
Furthermore, Charlotte underperforms versus teams in the top 10 of defensive rating, and Cleveland is third in defensive rating.
For instance, the Hornets are 7-13 SU versus top-10 defenses with a minus-5.7 adjusted net rating (ranked 22nd) and a minus-3.5 ATS margin (ranked 21st), according to CleaningTheGlass.com (CTG).
On top of that, Cleveland beats up on bad defenses, and Charlotte is 26th in defensive rating. The Cavs are 12-5 SU versus bottom-10 defenses with a plus-3.8 adjusted net rating and plus-1.8 ATS margin, per CTG.
But, it’s only a “LEAN” to the CAVALIERS +4.5 (-105) since the Hornets are 9-1 ATS at home versus teams with a winning record, and I prefer the Over.
Over/Under
GIMME the UNDER 216.5 (-110) for 1 unit because both teams could struggle offensively for different reasons, and we have an Under-friendly officiating crew.
First of all, the Cavs are missing their two best offensive players by adjusted on/off points per 100 possessions scored, per CTG.
Garland is Cleveland’s floor general and leading scorer while Markkanen is your prototypical stretch-4 that can space the floor.
On top of that, Cleveland’s murky ball security could be an even bigger factor against Charlotte.
The Hornets are fourth in offensive turnover rate (TOV%) and seventh in defensive TOV% while the Cavs are 28th in offensive TOV%.
In Charlotte’s case, Cleveland plays good defense in transition, defensive rebounds and protects the paint, which are all strengths for the Hornets.
Lastly, the assigned officiating crew for the Cavaliers-Hornets has a combined 47-63 O/U record, and neither team gets to the charity stripe often.
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