Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Charlotte Hornets: Player props, injury report and prediction | NBA

The Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on Monday night local time, with the visitors coming off a home defeat to the defending champion Knicks and the Hornets trying to end a six-game losing streak.

Cleveland are 5-5 and seventh in the East, while Charlotte, who finished 44-38 last season, are 3-7 and sit 10th in the Eastern Conference standings after losing every game since a 3-1 start.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Charlotte Hornets form and outlook

Form Guide (Last 5)

Cleveland Cavaliers 5-5 · 7th in the East

WLLWL

116.0 PPG

111.2 Opp PPG

+4.8 Diff

1 day Rest

Charlotte Hornets 3-7 · 10th in the East

LLLLL

91.6 PPG

112.2 Opp PPG

-20.6 Diff

2 days Rest

Charlotte's six straight defeats began at Detroit on 28 October, and the latest was a 119-80 home loss to Boston in NBA Cup group play that left the Hornets 0-2 in the competition.

The Hornets have scored just 91.6 points per game over their last five while conceding 112.2, and their season average of 96.3 is the lowest in the NBA.

Head coach Charles Lee also benched Naz Reid, the club's biggest offseason signing, during a game against Detroit for failing to meet team standards, a decision that puts a spotlight on Charlotte's second-leading scorer.

Cleveland's form is patchier rather than poor, with two wins and three defeats in their last five, the latest a 109-97 home loss to the Knicks, who swept them out of last season's conference finals.

Season-long numbers still separate the two clearly, with Cleveland's offensive rating of 115.0 against Charlotte's 99.7 the starkest efficiency gap on the board and a defensive rating of 112.4 that is also the better of the two.

Turnovers are where Charlotte lose the most ground, giving the ball away 19.2 times per game against 13.8 for Cleveland, which hands the Cavaliers extra possessions against a side that already struggles to score.

Shooting sits at the root of it, with the Hornets making 39.3% of their field goals against 45.9% for the Cavaliers, and Charlotte also trail by 6.2 assists per game.

Cleveland's 1-3 road record and 115.8 points conceded away from home give Charlotte something to work with, but the Hornets' own home defence has allowed 115.5 per game, so the Cavaliers' road scoring of 117.3 should travel.

What is the team news for Cavaliers vs. Hornets?

Cleveland will be without Jarrett Allen (right knee), Jaylon Tyson (right ankle sprain), Sam Merrill (right elbow) and Nae'Qwan Tomlin (low back stress reaction), all of whom are listed as out, which leaves the Cavaliers thin on both the wing and the interior.

With Allen out, Thomas Bryant is the main big-man cover behind Evan Mobley, and the Cavaliers started James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, rookie Meleek Thomas and Mobley against the Knicks, with Watson having arrived from Denver in a summer trade.

Charlotte list Brandon Miller (right groin soreness) and Moussa Diabaté (quadriceps) as day-to-day, while Dennis Schroder (thigh), Kon Knueppel (left hamstring strain) and Grant Williams (right hamstring strain) are out, while Kylan Boswell, Michael Ajayi and PJ Hall are two-way players on G League assignment.

Ryan Kalkbrenner started at centre in the Boston game, when Diabaté and Knueppel were missing and Schroder, a Cavalier last season, was also out, while Knueppel, last year's rookie of the year runner-up, has played only once this season.

Cavaliers vs. Hornets key matchups that could decide it

Key Matchups

Frontcourt scoring

Evan Mobley CLE

VS

Naz Reid CHA

18.4 PPG

8.1 RPG

55.6% FG%

16.6 PPG

8.1 RPG

41.6% FG%

With Jarrett Allen out, Mobley carries the interior for Cleveland, while Reid is the Hornets' second-leading scorer.

Top scorers

Donovan Mitchell CLE

VS

Brandon Miller CHA

24.0 PPG

5.1 RPG

48.8% FG%

20.6 PPG

5.0 RPG

35.6% FG%

Each side's leading scorer, with a 13.2-point gap in field-goal percentage between them.

Mobley is shooting 55.6% from the field and 47.7% from three, which asks a lot of Charlotte's frontcourt, and Reid, at 41.6% overall, will need to be more efficient at the other end, particularly if Diabaté is limited.

The scoring leaders add a second contrast, since Mitchell carries Cleveland's load at 48.8% while Brandon Miller leads Charlotte at 35.6%, a gap that mirrors the two offences, and Miller's 26.0% from three adds to Charlotte's concern.

Cavaliers vs. Hornets player props to target

Each prop below is built from season and last-five scoring averages over the 10 games either side has played so far, so the sample is small but consistent across both measures.

Player Props to Watch

Donovan Mitchell CLE

Points Over 22.5

24.0 Season avg

23.8 Last 5 avg

10 GP

Both his season and last-five averages clear the line, and Charlotte are short of two guards.

Evan Mobley CLE

Points Over 17.5

18.4 Season avg

18.6 Last 5 avg

10 GP

Allen's absence leaves Mobley as Cleveland's main interior scorer, and both averages sit above the line.

Naz Reid CHA

Points Over 15.5

16.6 Season avg

16.2 Last 5 avg

10 GP

Reid has scored above this line in both samples and Charlotte's shot creation is thinner without Knueppel and Schroder.

Grayson Allen CHA

Points Over 12.5

14.1 Season avg

13.0 Last 5 avg

10 GP

Allen is Charlotte's most accurate three-point shooter, and both his averages clear the line.

Cavaliers vs. Hornets head-to-head record

Cleveland won three of last season's four meetings, with Charlotte's only victory a 119-111 overtime win in Cleveland on 14 December after the teams finished level in regulation.

The Cavaliers have won each of their last three visits to Charlotte, including 118-113 in February and 94-87 in January last season, and a 118-117 squeaker in March 2025.

The sides meet three times this season, next in Charlotte on 2 January and then in Cleveland on 4 April, as shown on the NBA schedule.

Cavaliers vs. Hornets prediction and best bets

Cleveland are the clear pick on efficiency, turnovers and shooting, and the Hornets' last five games, which include a 33-point home loss to Detroit, give little sign that a rebound is coming.

The main risk is a Cavaliers side that has lost its centre and struggled on the road, but Charlotte's depleted guard rotation and league-low scoring average leave too little to exploit it, even with Charlotte holding a day's extra rest.