Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets NBA Picks, Odds, Predictions 12/23/20
Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers 12/23/20: NBA Basketball free preview, analysis, prediction, odds and pick against the spread.
2020-12-23 19:00:00 EDT
The Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers meet Wednesday in NBA action at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Charlotte Hornets won 23 games last season and will play their first regular season game since March 11. The Hornets have a lot of positive things going for them right now, including the gitemth of young players such as Devonte’ Graham, PJ Washington and Miles Bridges. The Hornets are also going to be in the national spotlight with the selection of LaMelo Ball, who Charlotte is hoping can become a star point guard. The Hornets added all-star forward Gordon Hayward, and it’s going to be interesting to see if he can return to form after an inconsistent season with the Boston Celtics. For the first time in a long time, the Hornets have things going for them and could be worth keeping an eye on early.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won 19 games last season and will play their first regular season game since March 10. Outside of Kevin Love, Andre Drummond and JaVale McGee, the Cavaliers are an extremely young roster and it’s another year with very low expectations. Progress from Collin Sexton and Kevin Porter Jr. would go a very long way for the Cavs outlook. The Cavaliers are also going to expect a lot of big things from lottery pick Isaac Okoro. The Cavaliers are once again expected to be a bottom feeder in the NBA and some of their vets could be on the trade block in a couple of months.
The Hornets are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 road games and 7-0-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The Cavaliers are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 home games. The under is 9-4 in Hornets last 13 overall. The over is 16-5 in Cavaliers last 21 home games. The Hornets are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Cleveland.
The Charlotte Hornets simply have the better team here with a a much improved Graham, rising young players and now a legit all-star caliber player in Hayward. If Ball continues to build on the confidence he showed in the preseason, the Hornets will be a team capable of fighting for a lower playoff spot in the East. The Cleveland Cavaliers have some young players worth keeping an eye on, but the roster isn’t built to win right now. I’ll gladly back the Hornets in this pick em spot.
