Hornets vs. Cavs Prediction ATS 3/2/22

Charlotte Hornets (30-33 SU, 33-28-2 ATS) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (36-25 SU, 34-24-3 ATS)

When: Wednesday March 02 2022, 07:00 PM (ET)

Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio

TV: BSSE-CHA

Point Spread: CHA +3.5/CLE -3.5(Opened CLE -3.5 at BetOnline – One of the oldest, most trusted and FASTEST PAYING sportsbooks on the web!)

Total: 218.5 (Opened at 215.5)

Money Line: Charlotte Hornets 130/Cleveland Cavaliers -150

Power Rating: CLE -4

Probable Starting Lineups

Charlotte Hornets PG LaMelo Ball, SG Terry Rozier, SF Miles Bridges, PF PJ Washington, C Mason Plumlee

Cleveland Cavaliers PG Darius Garland Q, SG Isaac Okoro, SF Lauri Markkanen, PF Evan Mobley, C Jarrett Allen

Key Injuries

Hornets
No Reported Injuries

Cavaliers
Darius Garland: back (OUT) Caris LeVert: foot (OUT) Rajon Rondo: toe (OUT) Collin Sexton: knee (OUT)

The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Charlotte Hornets in a Non-Conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 07:00 PM ET at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Recent Form

The Charlotte Hornets come into this game with an overall record of 30-33, placing them 9th in the Eastern Conference. Throughout the season, Charlotte has struggled in their 33 road contests, sitting at 15-18. Over the Hornets’ last five games, they have picked up just one win. In this stretch, Charlotte’s offense is scoring right in line with their season average, putting up 117.0 points per game. Combined, the Hornets’ last five opponents are giving up 109.0 points per contest. In this recent cold stretch, the Hornets are allowing an average of 117.0 points per game, similar to their usual rate of 114.8. In the Charlotte Hornets’ most recent game, the team fell to Milwaukee by a score of 130-106.

The Cleveland Cavaliers come into this game with an overall record of 36-25, placing them 5th in the Eastern Conference. So far, Cleveland is above .500 at home, holding a record of 19-10. Over the Cavaliers’ last five games, they have picked up just 1 win. In this stretch, Cleveland’s offense is scoring right in line with their season average, putting up 105.0 points per game. Combined, the Cavaliers’ last five opponents are giving up 111.0 points per contest. A key reason for the Cavaliers’ recent struggles is a defensive unit giving up 109.0 points over their last five contests. This figure is up from their season average of 102.7. In the Cleveland Cavaliers’ most recent game, the team fell to Minnesota by a score of 127-122.

Individual Player Analysis

As Charlotte travels to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Hornets’ leading scorer is Miles Bridges. Through 60 games, Bridges is averaging 19 points. On the season, he has surpassed his season average in 55.0% of his games. As Bridges gets set to take on the Cavaliers, he could be in line for a big game as Cleveland is allowing their opponent’s top scorer to surpass their season average in 51.85% of their games. This figure places them 20th among NBA defenses. On the other side, Darius Garland leads the Cavaliers in scoring, averaging 20 points across his 47 games. Throughout the season, Garland has outscored his season average in 51.0% of his outings. On the season, the Hornets have allowed their opponent’s top scorer to surpass their season average in 46.81% of their games, giving them a rank of 13th among NBA defenses.

Matchup Analysis

The Hornets come into this game as the more efficient offensive team, averaging 108.5 points per 100 possessions. When playing as the superior offensive unit, Charlotte is winning at a rate of 55%. These victories are coming by an average margin of 13.0 points. On the other side, the Cavaliers hold the advantage on the defensive end of the floor. So far, they have played 25 games as the better defensive team, picking up 18 wins (72%).

The Historicals

Heading into today’s matchup, the Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers have met up for 3 games. In their last meeting, Cleveland picked up a 102-101 win.

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How the Public is Betting the Hornets vs Cavaliers

67% are betting the Cavaliers against the spread.

52% are wagering on the game to go over the posted total of 215.5

Betting Trends Worth Noting

Joe’s Pick to Cover the Spread

• Hornets are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
• Hornets are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 road games.
• Cavaliers are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 Wednesday games.
• Cavaliers are 28-12-2 ATS in their last 42 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.

Heading into the game, the Cavaliers look to get back on track as they have just one win over their last 5 contests. On the other side, Charlotte is hoping to play themselves out of having to take part in the play-in tournament. Keep an eye on the injury report to see if Darius Garland can give it a go. If so, I like the Cavaliers to pick up the win and cover the spread.