Cavaliers vs Hornets prediction NBA · Friday, February 20
At a glance
The Charlotte Hornets (26-30) host the Cleveland Cavaliers (35-21) on Friday, February 20 at 7:00 PM ET at Spectrum Center in NBA action. Final score: Cavaliers 118 – Hornets 113. Before tip-off, the Basketlog model gave the Cavaliers a 58% chance to win: prediction correct. This season, the Hornets are 12-15 at home and the Cavaliers are 16-10 on the road. Over the last 10 games: 8-2 for the Hornets and 9-1 for the Cavaliers (current streaks: Hornets L1, Cavaliers W6).
The analysis Model
Close to a coin flip: nothing really sets either side apart. The model projects Hornets 114 – 116 Cavaliers, a margin of about 2.4 points in favor of the Cavaliers and a total around 230 points. Expect a game at a standard NBA pace. The Hornets and the Cavaliers played yesterday: fatigue often shows in the fourth quarter.
- The overall strength gap (-0.1 vs +4.6 pts/game) is the main factor.
- The Hornets need to win the pace battle to stay in the game.
- The Cavaliers' offense (120.2 pts/game) is the more productive of the two.
What tips the balance
Scenarios
Stat comparison Current season
CLECHA
Top performers
Cavaliers
Donovan MitchellG · #4532pts / game
James HardenG · #18assists
Jarrett AllenC · #3114reboundsHornets
Kon KnueppelG · #733pts / game
Sion JamesG · #47assists
Ryan KalkbrennerC · #1113reboundsRecent form
CLECHAHead-to-head
CLE lead 3-1 this season.
CHA
Team comparison
| CLE | CHA | |
|---|---|---|
| 35-21 | Record | 26-30 |
| 120.2 | Points scored / game | 113.6 |
| 114.8 | Points allowed / game | 113.7 |
| +4.6 | Adjusted margin / game | -0.1 |
| W6 | Current streak | L1 |
| 9-1 | Last 10 games | 8-2 |
| 16-10 road | Home / road record | 12-15 home |
| 64-18 (+9.5) | Last season | 19-63 (-9.1) |
| Yes | Played yesterday | Yes |
Injury report Cavaliers
Injury report Hornets
Probabilities estimated by the Basketlog model from available public data. They are neither a certainty nor betting advice.