Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets Betting Pick & Prediction 12/7/24

At 1:00 ET, the Cleveland Cavaliers (-854) will travel to take on the Charlotte Hornets (+579). The Cavaliers are currently favored by 13 points and the over/under line is set at 219.

Cleveland is 20-3 on the season and has won three straight games. The Hornets are 6-16 and have lost seven straight.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS CHARLOTTE HORNETS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -13

This game will be played at Spectrum Center at 1:00 ET on Saturday, December 7th.

WHY BET THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 126-77 in favor of the Cavaliers.
• Our projections have Donovan Mitchell finishing with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
• From the field, we have the Cavaliers finishing with a field goal percentage of 48.5% and knocking down 15 threes.

Do the Cavaliers Have What it Takes in Charlotte?

The Cavaliers improved to 20-3 on the season with a 126-114 win over the Nuggets on Thursday. Cleveland, favored by -3.5, covered the spread, and the game’s total of 240 points went over the line of 233.

Cleveland jumped out to a 37-27 lead after the 1st quarter. Although Denver won the 2nd quarter 35-29, the Cavaliers went on an 11-0 run, extending their lead from 92-84 to 103-84, and held off the Nuggets in the 4th quarter.

In their win over the Nuggets, the Cavaliers connected on 22 threes, shooting 45.8% from deep and 50% overall. Donovan Mitchell hit 6 threes at a 60% clip, finishing with a team-high 28 points and 6 assists.

Caris LeVert added 21 points, making 5 threes at 83.3%, with 14 of his points coming in the 1st quarter. Darius Garland scored 14 of his 24 points in the 3rd quarter.

Despite giving up 35 points in the 2nd quarter, the Cavaliers’ defense held strong in the 3rd, allowing just 25 points, and they limited the Nuggets to 27 points in both the 1st and 4th quarters. Cleveland gave up 114 points in the game, but it was enough for the win.

The Cavaliers were particularly effective at defending the three-point line, holding the Nuggets to just 6 made threes on 25% shooting. Cleveland also sent Denver to the line 22 times, where they made 16 free throws. The Cavaliers finished with 9 steals and 3 blocks.

Can Charlotte Pull Off a Home Win?

The Hornets dropped to 6-16 on the season after a 125-101 road loss to the Knicks on Thursday. Charlotte came into the game as +14.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total score of 226 points exceeded the over/under line of 217.5 by 8.5 points.

Charlotte started strong with a 10-0 run, leading 14-9, and ended the 1st quarter up 32-30. However, the Knicks took control by winning the 2nd quarter 35-30 and dominated the 3rd quarter 38-16. The Hornets were down 103-78 going into the 4th, where they edged the Knicks 23-22.

Brandon Miller led the Hornets with 26 points, hitting 5 threes at 41.7% in their loss to the Knicks. He scored 16 of his points in the 1st quarter and added 10 more in the 3rd. Seth Curry contributed 18 points, 15 of which came in the 4th quarter, shooting 80% from deep with 4 made threes.

As a team, the Hornets made 15 threes, shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc and 44.9% overall. Vasilije Micic added 14 points and 12 assists, scoring 9 points in the 2nd quarter.

The Hornets struggled defensively against the Knicks, giving up 125 points while allowing 30 or more in each of the first three quarters. Charlotte’s defense was at its worst in the 3rd quarter, where they allowed 38 points. They did manage to tighten things up in the 4th, holding the Knicks to 22 points.

Charlotte allowed the Knicks to shoot 53% from the field, including 54% from three-point range, where New York hit 18 threes. The Hornets also sent the Knicks to the free-throw line 32 times, where they made 25. Defensively, the Hornets recorded 3 steals and 4 blocks.