One of the NBA’s best teams will face off against one of the worst this evening as the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
Cleveland may be giving a boatload of points tonight, but I’m still taking them to cover in my Cavaliers vs. Hornets predictions.
I’ll break down why I think the Cavs can cover this massive spread below in my free NBA picks for Friday, March 7.
Cavaliers vs Hornets prediction
My best bet
Cavaliers -16 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
It doesn’t take an NBA expert to realize what a mismatch tonight’s game is. Not only have the Cleveland Cavaliers been the most dominant team in the Eastern Conference all season long, but they’re also riding a 12-game winning streak heading into tonight’s game. The Charlotte Hornets, on the other hand, have lost eight in a row and now have the second-worst record in the NBA, just two games ahead of the Washington Wizards.
The question instead is just how badly Cleveland will pummel the Hornets tonight. And with the spread at 16 points, we have to believe this will be a pure blowout to justify taking the favorite – which is exactly what I’m doing.
Charlotte has been uncompetitive during much of its current eight-game losing streak, going just 2-6 against the spread. That includes three losses for their backers even when they’ve been getting 11+ points on the spread. Overall, the Hornets have lost by an average of 26 points during this losing streak.
That’s largely due to the fact that this team just can’t score many points. Charlotte has been held to 100 points or less five times in the eight-game stretch, averaging just 98.8 ppg. The Hornets rank second-worst in the NBA in offensive rating, and are averaging 105.2 ppg for the year.
That doesn’t leave much hope for keeping things close against the most effective offensive squad in the NBA. Cleveland leads the NBA in scoring (123.1 ppg), offensive rating (122.2), and is second only to the Oklahoma City Thunder with a +11.5 point differential. With the Cavs coming into tonight’s game completely healthy, it’s only reasonable to expect them to surpass that margin against one of the worst squads in the league.
It doesn’t help Charlotte that they aren’t nearly as healthy for tonight. LaMelo Ball is expected to play, but has been struggling with an illness, so it’s hard to know exactly how much he’ll be on the court tonight – and his effectiveness has up and down over the past couple weeks. Brandon Miller is out for the year with a wrist injury, and several other role players are either out or uncertain for tonight.
It’s hard to willingly give up 16 points in an NBA game, but tonight is one of the biggest mismatches we’ll see all year. I’m taking Cleveland to cover.
Cavaliers vs Hornets same-game parlay
Cavaliers -15.5
Under 234.5
Donovan Mitchell Over 23.5 points
This game shouldn’t be competitive, as Charlotte doesn’t have the firepower to stay anywhere close to this Cavs team. But that doesn’t mean the entire game will be a track meet. The Hornets are surprisingly competent on defense, and the pace of play should be around average for an NBA game. Considering those factors and the high total on this game, I’m taking the Under for my SGP.
But that doesn’t mean the Cavaliers won’t be scoring their fair share tonight. To complete the parlay, I’ll take Donovan Mitchell to hit the Over on his scoring prop of 23.5 points. Mitchell has gotten over that number in six of his last seven games, and even if this game turns into a blowout in the second half, he
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Cavaliers vs Hornets odds
Cavaliers vs Hornets live odds
Cavaliers vs Hornets opening odds
- Spread: Cleveland -16 (-110) | Charlotte +16 (-110)
- Moneyline: Cleveland -1300 | Charlotte +800
- Over/Under: Over 235.5 (-110) | Under 235.5 (-110)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Cavaliers vs Hornets spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Cavaliers are 40-21-1 against the spread this season, while the Hornets are 30-29-1 ATS on the year.
- Cleveland is 3-0 straight up against Charlotte for the season, and has a 2-1 ATS mark in those three games.
- The Under has a 37-23-1 record in Hornets games this season, with the Over holding the 41-21 advantage when the Cavaliers play.
- Charlotte is averaging a total of 218.3 ppg for the year, compared to an average total of 234.7 ppg for Cleveland.
Cavaliers vs Hornets trend
Charlotte is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games. Find more NBA betting trends for Cavaliers vs. Hornets.
How to watch Cavaliers vs Hornets
| Location | Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Date | Friday, 3-7-2025 |
| Tip-off | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | FanDuel Sports Network-Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network SE-Charlotte |
Cavaliers vs Hornets latest injuries
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