The Cleveland Cavaliers (42-27, 14-20 Away), the league’s top scoring defense, travel to face the Charlotte Hornets (22-47, 11-21 Home) on Sunday. Cleveland lost to the Miami Heat 119-115 at FTX Arena on Friday.
Donovan Mitchell led the way in the losing effort with 42 points. The Cavaliers are the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte is playing on back-to-back days after losing their third in a row at home yesterday at Spectrum Center, falling to the Utah Jazz 119-111.
Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 24 to lead the team in scoring in defeat. With 22 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, Terry Rozier also produced a strong performance. The Hornets are 14th in the Eastern Conference. It’s the final meeting of the season between the teams.
Cleveland will be seeking a season sweep against Charlotte after getting the win in the only previous meeting 132-122 in double overtime at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in November 2022. Darius Garland led the Cavaliers with 41 points, six assists, and five steals. Oubre Jr. had 34 points in the loss.
The Cavs have been led this season by Mitchell, who is averaging 27.7 points per game, seventh-highest in the NBA. Meanwhile, Garland is dishing 7.9 assists per game, seventh-most in the NBA, and Jarrett Allen is grabbing 9.8 rebounds per game. Rozier has powered the Hornets’ offense, averaging 21.3 points per game. Rozier also has recorded 5.0 assists per game.
Mason Plumlee has collected 9.7 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers are holding opponents to 106.6 points per game, ranking as the top scoring defense in the NBA. The Cavaliers have found success in recent games at Spectrum Center, winning seven of the last 10.
Meanwhile, the Hornets are 3-7 when playing on consecutive nights this season and 2-5 in such games against opponents with at least a day of rest. The Cavaliers are 7-4 with a rest advantage. In the last 10 games, Cleveland is 5-5 with an average margin of +2.8 (113.9-111.1).
Charlotte has gone 6-4 over the last 10, scoring 108.5 points per game on average while holding opponents to 108.3 (+0.2 margin). The Hornets are averaging 111.8 ppg for the full season while allowing 117.5.
CAVALIERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Cedi Osman: 6.8 | 12.3 | -5.6
Points per game:
Jarrett Allen: 9.0 | 14.4 | -5.4
HORNETS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Dennis Smith Jr.: 11.0 | 8.8 | +2.2
Assists per game:
Terry Rozier: 6.8 | 5.0 | +1.8
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Cleveland Cavaliers -8.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
