Hornets vs Cavaliers Picks and Predictions: Hornets' Pace Forces Cavs' Hands

Styles clash tonight as the Charlotte Hornets visit the Cleveland Cavaliers in NBA betting action. 

While the Hornets are one of the league's fastest teams — and its highest-scoring — Cleveland prefers to clamp down on defense and slow the game to a crawl.     

Which of these contrasting approaches to the game will prevail tonight? Find out with our NBA picks and predictions for Hornets vs. Cavaliers on March 2. 

Hornets vs Cavaliers odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

This matchup opened with the Cavs as 3.5- to 4-point favorites, and sits -3.5 at most books as of Wednesday morning. The total opened mostly at 217.5 and has been bet up to 218.5

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Hornets vs Cavaliers predictions

• Prediction: Hornets +3.5 (-110)
• Prediction: Over 218.5 (-110)
• Best bet: Allen Over 27.5 pts + rebs (-120)

Predictions made on 3/2/2022 at 9:55 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Hornets vs Cavaliers game info

• Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
• Date: Wednesday, March 2, 2022
• Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports Southeast-Charlotte

Hornets vs Cavaliers betting preview

Key injuries

Hornets: Gordon Hayward SF (Out), James Bouknight SG (Out), Jalen McDaniels PF (Out).
Cavaliers: Darius Garland PG (Questionable), Caris LeVert SG (Out), Rajon Rondo PG (Out), Collin Sexton PG (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Cavaliers are 0-5 ATS in their last five games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Hornets vs. Cavaliers.

Hornets vs Cavaliers picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Spread analysis

Disclaimer: Make sure we get word on the status of Darius Garland before firing this bet. If Garland dresses, the Cavs are the play and the line should start to shift in their favor, so act quickly. 

Without Garland, the Cavs are 1-2 SU since the All-Star break, including a loss to the pitiful Pistons. With injuries decimating its backcourt, Cleveland has been stripped of virtually all playmaking, relying on bench-warmer Brandon Goodwin to deliver starters' minutes in Garland's absence.

The downgrade from an All-Star to a fringe NBA player is noticeable, especially when the Cavs' other perimeter weapon, Caris LeVert, is also sidelined, putting a huge onus on Cleveland's frontcourt to carry the offense. 

While the Hornets have a reputation as a poor defensive team (ranked 23rd on the season), they've actually stepped it up of late, ranking 12th over the past 15 games, and even better at ninth over the past 10. And while the Hornets allow the NBA's third-most opponent points per game, their second-fastest pace bloats the numbers and makes them seem worse on defense than they actually are as a unit.

Charlotte also concedes a disproportionately low amount of points in the paint (though that may start to change the more Montrezl Harrell plays center), suggesting Cleveland may not have as easy a time scoring without perimeter threats to prevent the Hornets from collapsing.

Neither team has done anything to inspire confidence for bettors over the past couple of weeks. Charlotte's a laughable 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games, while the Cavs, previously darlings for spread bettors, have failed to cover in five straight. Garland means so much to a team whose ethos is to clamp down and limit margins, and they'll be out of their comfort zone in this game. 

The Hornets are going to push the tempo and try to outgun a Cavs team with a limited arsenal. Getting points, they have to be given credit here, especially now that their recent tailspin has put them in serious danger of falling out of the play-in bracket. 

Again, keep an eye on Garland and fire the Cavs spread if he's cleared to play and you can catch it. Otherwise, we're counting on the Hornets to cover here.

Prediction: Charlotte +3.5 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

We're counting on the Hornets to push more tempo here and attempt to bury Cleveland in a hole it can't dig out of by slowing things down on the other end. The Cavs are going to be left in the dust if they try to milk the clock in the halfcourt, so this matchup should favor a faster tempo. 

Case in point: Cleveland's recent totals against faster-paced, offensively-inclined teams. Its last outing was a 249-point barn-burner against Over-magnet Minnesota. A February 15 meeting with the Hawks ran up 240 points (albeit with Garland playing in that one) and a Feb 11 meeting with Indiana yielded 233 (again without Garland). 

Facing a diminutive total of just 218.5 against such a fast-paced, offense-minded team suggests the Cavs are either going to completely control tempo or the Hornets are going to try and win this game on defense, neither of which seem incredibly likely. 

Even with a slight scoring regression over the past month, the Hornets have still been destroying this total against most opponents (the stingy Heat being a notable exception) and the first two meetings between these teams both cleared it (223 on Nov. 1, 235 in the season opener on Oct. 22) before Charlotte went ice-cold in an anomalous 203 point output on February 4. 

Don't be shocked to see scores in the ~110 range, which definitely puts this Over in play. 

Prediction: Over 218.5 (-110)

Best bet

Jarrett Allen's going to be called on for a greater offensive role if Garland sits again tonight, and figures to be in for a big performance against a team like Charlotte that plays at warp speed and ranks 29th in rebound rate. 

With many possessions and little resistance on the boards, Allen's opportunity to stat-pad grows, not only on the glass, but on put-backs the Hornets will surrender to the NBA's sixth-leading offensive rebounder. 

Allen tallied an insane 29 points and 22 rebounds against the Hornets in the offense-capped matchup on February 4, and dropped 24 and 16 on them in the previous meeting.

Backing him to go Over this total in the combined market tonight seems about as safe as any. 

Pick: Jarrett Allen Over 27.5 points + rebounds (-120)

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