Buzzing Battle: Hornets vs. Cavaliers – Who Will Come Out on Top?

The Cleveland Cavaliers aim to stay perfect as they host the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday evening. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series with a Hornets-Cavaliers prediction and pick.

The Hornets are coming off an impressive win against the Milwaukee Bucks, 115-114. The depth stepped up as Lamelo Ball and Brandon Miller had poor games. Ball still ended up with 26 points en route to the 1-point win. The Hornets were down six points late and found a way to bounce back and win. They are now 5-7 on the season and placed 8th in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavs are 14-0. Not a soul on earth predicted this to happen but here we are. They brought in new head coach Kenny Atkinson this offseason and it has turned them around. Many players are playing well and they are establishing themselves as a top-three team in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs’ next game is on the road at Boston for an NBA Cup group match. That game will tell us all who they are this season.

Here are the Hornets-Cavaliers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Hornets-Cavaliers Odds

Charlotte Hornets: +11.5 (-112)

Moneyline: +460

Cleveland Cavaliers: -11.5 (-108)

Moneyline: -620

Over: 224.5 (-110)

Under: 224.5 (-110)

How To Watch Hornets vs. Cavaliers

Time: 6:00 ET/3:00 PT

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio

Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)

Why the Hornets Could Cover the Spread/Win

The Hornets are playing competitive basketball to begin this season. They are not really projected to make the playoffs but they need to start making some strides soon. They can make the postseason this year as the East is not great. This franchise has been irrelevant for a long time even as the Bobcats. Lamelo Ball can’t continue to do it all his whole career. He needs help in order to help build this team up.

Prior to the win over the Bucks, Ball was averaging 29.9 points per game. He is one of the top young scorers in the league and is the 4th overall scorer.

The rest of the team has solid players but none of them are at the star level. Miller was great in college at Alabama but he has not played like the No. 2 overall pick.

Why the Cavaliers Could Cover the Spread/Win

Evan Mobley and Sam Merrill are both a game-time decision for Sunday’s game. Max Strus and Emoni Bates remain out and should be available early in December.

Mobley is a big need for the Cavs in this game but they can win and cover without him. He has been on a tear this year but is currently dealing with an illness. He is averaging 17.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.0 steals on 55.8% shooting this season. He’s playing at an All-Star level and is a huge reason for the Cavs’ undefeated season so far.

This is Donovan Mitchell’s team. He is averaging 24.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals this year. He can score like the best of them in the league and he’s done a great job of leading his team this year. It makes it much easier when you have a great head coach and depth to take the pressure off.

Darius Garland is second on the team averaging 21.1 points per game. He adds 6.6 assists per game as well.

Final Hornets-Cavaliers Prediction & Pick

The Hornets will be on the second of a back-to-back. That never is a good sign to bet to. They are big underdogs but should be able to cover the spread against the Cavs. Cleveland is legit, but they can’t keep their streak up forever. The Hornets are playing well and will cover.

Final Hornets-Cavaliers Prediction & Pick: Hornets +11.5 (-112)