An ESPN doubleheader populates the Wednesday NBA slate, and a pair of Eastern Conference foes clash to kick things off at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Wednesday’s game between the 24-20 Cleveland Cavaliers and 16-27 Charlotte Hornets features some intriguing firepower. With Cleveland attempting to climb out of play-in territory and Charlotte eying an ascent into it, there’s plenty on the line.
Below, we’ll break down our Cavaliers vs. Hornets prediction and picks for Wednesday night’s game. Make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Cavaliers vs. Hornets Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
A season ago, the Cavaliers shocked the world by going an East-best 64-18 in the regular season. Following a disappointing playoff exit, they’re now tied for the No. 7 seed in the conference but are 6-4 in their last 10.
The Hornets, meanwhile, went 19-63 in 2024-25. Now, they’re on a 30-win pace and are an even .500 in their last 10. Health is key for a young Charlotte crew.
Wednesday marks the 133rd all-time meeting between the Cavaliers and Hornets in the regular season. Cleveland boasts an 80-52 series advantage, leaving Charlotte with quite the hill to climb.
Cavaliers vs. Hornets Over/Under, Spread
The Cavaliers enter Wednesday’s game as 2.5-point road favorites, returning a 1.61x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Hornets are home underdogs with a 2.17x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Cleveland Cavaliers -2.5
- Over/Under: 236.5
- Game Winner Payout: Cavaliers 1.61x | Hornets 2.17x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Cavaliers vs. Hornets Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Cavaliers vs. Hornets injury report for Wednesday, via NBA.com.
Cavaliers Injury Report
- PG Darius Garland (toe): OUT
- SG Sam Merrill (hand): OUT
- SF Max Strus (foot): OUT
Hornets Injury Report
- SF Liam McNeeley (G-League): OUT
- C Mason Plumlee (groin): OUT
- PF Tidjane Salaun (Achilles): Probable
- PG KJ Simpson (hip): OUT
Cavaliers vs. Hornets Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to know to help you make your Cavaliers vs. Hornets prediction on Wednesday, January 21.
- Wednesday’s bout features the NBA’s second-best against-the-spread team (Hornets, 25-18) and the league’s worst (15-29).
- The Cavaliers’ offense ranks fourth in per-game scoring at 119.6 points, also sitting eighth in assists per game (28.6).
- Defensively, Cleveland is fourth in opposing 2-point percentage (52.5) but is dead last at limiting made threes (38.6%).
- Charlotte sits eighth in shooting efficiency (1.172) but is 24th in field goals made on average (41.2).
- The other end of the court is where the Hornets struggle. They surrender the third-worst assist to turnover ratio (2.227).
Cavaliers vs. Hornets Picks for PrizePicks Today: Wednesday, January 21
Here are three top Cavaliers vs. Hornets picks to target for Wednesday, January 21 on PrizePicks. Player stat projections via PrizePicks are headlined by SG Donovan Mitchell, F-G Kon Knueppel, and PG LaMelo Ball.
Cavaliers SG Donovan Mitchell vs. Hornets Projection: 36.5 Pts + Asts
- Mitchell averages a combined 34.7 points and assists per game this year.
- Spida’s 27.7% assist rate rivals only 2023 (28.3%) as the best of his nine-year career.
- This is the only season Mitchell has produced a true shooting percentage above 62. This is largely due to him canning a whopping 56.3% of shots from 10-16 feet.
- According to databallr, in 928 minutes without Garland this season, Mitchell’s usage rate climbs 1.4% and his points per 75 jumps by 2.6.
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Hornets F-G Kon Knueppel vs. Cavaliers Projection: 17.5 Points
- Forty-two games into his rookie campaign, Knueppel averages 19.0 points. Since the beginning of December, that number is 19.7.
- Knueppel makes a scorching 43.5% of his 3-point attempts, owning the third-most made shots from deep on the year.
- Via NBARAPM, Knueppel’s +6.7% relative true shooting mark is in the 95th percentile.
- The No. 4 overall NBA Draft pick gets up 22 true shot attempts per 100 possessions.
Hornets PG LaMelo Ball vs. Cavaliers Projection: 29.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Ball averages a combined 32.5 points, rebounds, and assists this season. That’s held true in his last six contests (32.6).
- Despite seeing his usage rate drop 3.2% year-over-year, Ball’s assist clip is up 2.3% to a career-high 46.1%.
- An impressive 15.0% defensive rebounding rate puts Ball in the 99th percentile. His 4.7% offensive rebounding mark (88th percentile) is also tremendous.
- Per FantasyPros, Cleveland cedes the 12th-most fantasy PPG to the PG position (51.10).
Make Cavaliers vs. Hornets Picks on PrizePicks
Cavaliers vs. Hornets picks aren’t the only avenue hoops fans have to getting in on the daily NBA action.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 30 states.
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