The Charlotte Hornets (44-31) travel to the Quicken Loans Arena to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (54-22), the best team in the Eastern Conference. The game begins at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 3 and will air on FxO and FxS.
The Cavaliers enter this game hoping for similar success after edging the Hawks 110-108 on Friday. LeBron James played a pivotal role, recording 29 points and 16 rebounds to notch his 27th double-double of the season. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 100-91 win over the 76ers on Friday. Kemba Walker claimed his third double-double of the season with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
Over the last five games, James has been playing at a high level for the Cavaliers. During that stretch, he has averaged 27.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.0 block, and 1.0 three-pointer. Nicolas Batum has also been on fire in the same span, averaging 19.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.6 three-pointers while leading the Hornets.
The Hornets may not find many second-chance opportunities in this matchup. They’re ranked 29th in the league in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 19.9%), whereas Cleveland is fifth-best in the NBA on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 78.7%).
The Cavaliers lead the season series against the Hornets two games to one, including a 114-103 victory in their last matchup. James was the game’s top overall scorer with 23 points.
The Cavaliers have gone 54-22 Straight Up (SU) and 34-40-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 54-22 SU and 34-40-2 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers are one of the best in the NBA in terms of three-point field goals, making 10.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Cleveland defense overall is very good at home, only giving up 98.0 points per game.
Over on the other bench, the Hornets have a record of 39-35-1 ATS and 44-31 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Charlotte is 44-31 SU and 39-35-1 ATS. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Hornets. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.81.
Cleveland beat Charlotte in their most recent meeting this season, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. On the other hand, the Hornets hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
“Cleveland is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 5 games “.
“Cleveland is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“Cleveland is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Charlotte”.
“Cleveland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Charlotte”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Cleveland’s last 10 games when playing Charlotte”.
“Cleveland is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Charlotte”.
“Cleveland is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games when playing at home against Charlotte”.
Cleveland ranks ninth in points per game with 104.0, while Charlotte ranks seventh in points allowed with an average of 100.5 given up.
Charlotte has allowed an average of 102.1 points per away game this season. Cleveland averages 106.3 points per home game, placing the team fifth in scoring.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers are an exceptional 30-9. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Charlotte Hornets have an abysmal record of 8-24.
The Cavaliers have a 24-13 record when they allow at least 100 points. The Hornets have also performed well when they reach the century mark with a record of 36-7 in such games.
The Cavaliers have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA (108.5). The Hornets are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 101.9 (ranked sixth).
Cleveland averages fewer possessions per game than Charlotte, with 95.8 compared to 97.9. However, the Cavaliers score an average of 1.085 points per possession, more than the 1.053 that the Hornets score.
Cleveland is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 52.1% (ranked fifth in the NBA). Charlotte is a losing 7-16 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Cleveland attempts 29.0 three pointers and Charlotte attempts 29.0 per game. Both teams have winning records when they have 25 or more three point attempts. The Cavaliers sit at 39-18 and the Hornets are 41-25.
Charlotte ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.81 (ranked fifth). Cleveland is ranked seventh, with an A/TO of 1.77 this season.
The Cavaliers rank seventh in rebounds per game with 44.7, while the Hornets rank 13th with 44.1 per game.
The Charlotte Hornets rank 27th in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank 10th in defensive rebounding.
On average, the Cavaliers force a turnover rate of 13.4%. When the Hornets turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 17-11 record.
