The Charlotte Hornets (13-23) look to snap their six-game losing streak when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (10-23) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 2, 2020, and will air on Fox Sports – Ohio.
Cleveland opened as a 2-point favorite at PointsBet, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 210 points.
Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers Free Prediction
The last time the Hornets played, they were defeated by the Boston Celtics, 109-92, and were unable to cover as 7.5-point underdogs. The game’s total points (201) were under the O/U total of 210. Boston’s rebounding was their biggest strength. The Celtics had 15 offensive rebounds and 54 total rebounds, while the Hornets had eight and 41, respectively. Charlotte’s Miles Bridges had a good performance, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Cavaliers were blown out by the Toronto Raptors in their last game, 117-97. They were not able to cover as 8-point underdogs. The combined points for the game (214) were under the O/U total of 218. Toronto made good use of their 25 trips to the charity stripe, converting on 20 of them (80.0 percent). Cleveland, meanwhile, was 13-16 (81.3 percent). With 14 points and 11 rebounds, Tristan Thompson put together a good performance for Cleveland.
Cleveland could have trouble getting to the foul line in this battle. The Cavaliers rank 25th in the league with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.178, while Charlotte ranks second in FTA rate allowed (0.164).
Charlotte holds records of 13-23 straight up (SU) and 17-18-1 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has been spot on when setting the total of Hornets games, with an even split between overs and unders.
Meanwhile, Cleveland is 10-23 SU and 14-17-2 ATS. A little over half of Cavaliers games have finished under the projected point total.
This will be the second game of the season between these two squads. In the first, the Hornets lost 100-98 but covered as 2.5-point underdogs. Terry Rozier scored a game-high 35 points. The game finished with a total of 198 points, which was 14 points below the projected point total of 212 points. The Cavaliers knocked down 13 of their 17 free throws (76.5 percent) and had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.588 vs. 0.478).
Hornets vs. Cavaliers Pick
Free Prediction: ATS Winner – Hornets, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
Charlotte is 9-9 ATS on the road with 11 overs and 7 unders.
Cleveland is 7-8-1 ATS at home with 10 unders and 6 overs.
In contests where they allow below 100 points, Cleveland is 4-3 and Charlotte is 3-0.
When reaching 100 points, the Cavaliers are 9-13 and the Hornets are 11-13.
Charlotte ranks third in fast break points allowed per game (11.8) while Cleveland ranks 26th (15.7).
The Hornets rank 13th in blocks allowed per game (4.9) while the Cavaliers rank 28th (7.0).
Cleveland averages 47.7 points in the paint per game, which ranks 12th in the league. Charlotte ranks 26th in points allowed in the paint per game (51.1).
The Hornets rank 14th in points off turnovers per game (17.2) while the Cavaliers rank 28th (13.8).
Charlotte ranks 16th in assists per game (23.7) while Cleveland ranks 27th (21.2).
The Hornets rank ninth in three pointers attempted per game (35.0) while the Cavaliers rank 14th in three pointers allowed per game (33.4).
Cleveland ranks 12th in second chance points per game (13.4) while Charlotte ranks 17th in second chance points allowed per game (13.3).
The Cavaliers average 44.4 rebounds per game, which ranks 18th in the NBA. The Hornets rank 22nd in rebounds allowed per game (46.4).
Charlotte averages 6.8 steals per game, which ranks 24th in the league. Cleveland ranks 27th in steals allowed per game (8.8).
In its last five games, Charlotte is 0-4-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Cleveland is 4-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over its last five games.
The Hornets’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 13.0, up from 7.0 for the season.
During their last five games, the Cavaliers have scored an average of 108.6 points per game (4.3 above their season average) and allowed an average of 111.8 points per game (1.5 below their season average).
