Free Pick: Hornets vs. Cavaliers Odds
Looking for Charlotte Hornets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Free NBA predictions? NBA betting sees the Hornets taking on the Cavaliers on 12/22 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups all season long, so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA predictions like this Pacers Cavaliers free pick.
2025 NBA Handicapping – Charlotte Hornets vs Cleveland Cavaliers
(9-19) Charlotte Hornets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (15-14)
Date: Dec 22, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
NBA Moneyline Odds: Hornets +310 | Cavaliers -375 (Bet Now!)
Today’s NBA Point Spread Betting Odds: Hornets +9 | Cavaliers -9
NBA Basketball Gambling Total: O/U: 238.5
Here’s why I’m backing underdog Charlotte as per below in my Hornets Cavaliers free pick & gambling prediction for this matchup.
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Hornets vs. Cavaliers Gameday
Monday serves up seven contests, including the Charlotte Hornets and the Cleveland Cavaliers to open the action of the evening.
The Hornets last played on Saturday in an 86-112 loss to the Pistons. After consecutive wins, this match was a letdown as Charlotte struggled and coughed up the ball 24 times.
Only three Hornets produced double digits, including Kon Knueppel and Miles Bridges, who each scored 19 points.
Cleveland last played Friday, losing their third game in a row as they fell to the Chicago Bulls 125-136. In the loss, six Cavs scored in double figures, led by Darius Garland, who offered 35 points and eight assists.
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Charlotte Hornets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Odds & Last 5
Head-to-head last year, the Cavaliers dominated, sweeping the four-game series. This season, the teams have played once, with the Hornets taking the overtime victory.
Charlotte is 2-3 in the last five contests, while the team is 9-19 to this point in the campaign, as they reside in the 12th seed in the East.
Cleveland is 1-4 through the last five and is 15-14 on the season, finding themselves in the eighth seed.
The Cavaliers are favored to win by 9.0 points with an over/under of 238.5 points.
Hornets Stats
With 28 games in the well, Charlotte ranks 14th offensively (114.4), tied for 24th defensively (117.5), and 19th in net rating (-3.1), running a pace of 99.86, which ranks 24th overall.
The East’s 12th-place Hornets average 114.5 points per game while their opponents average 118.5 points. In terms of dimes and boards, Charlotte averages 26.1 (15th) and 44.2 (tied for 17th), respectively.
Charlotte’s team leaders are Miles Bridges for scoring (21.1 points), LaMelo Ball for assists (8.6), Moussa Diabaté for rebounds (7.3), Josh Green for steals (1.3), and Ryan Kalkbrenner for blocks (1.8).
Perimeter shooting is a strength for the Hornets, who have six* players shooting between 36.6% and 47.4% while the team shoots an average of 35.2%.
*minimum 10 games played
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Cavaliers Stats
With 29 games in the pocket, Cleveland ranks 11th (115.4) on offense and 15th on defense (113.9). Additionally, the Cavs rank 13th in net rating (+1.6) and run the seventh quickest pace (102.04).
The East’s seventh-place Cavaliers average 26.8 assists (10th) and 45.0 rebounds (13th). Cleveland scores 118.7 points per game while their opponents average 115.9 points.
Team leaders* for the Cavs are Donovan Mitchell for points (30.7), Evan Mobley for rebounds (9.3) and blocks (1.6), Darius Garland for assists (6.5), and Lonzo Ball for steals (1.5).
As a team, the Cavaliers shoot 33.9% from the perimeter with four players shooting above the league average.
Charlotte Hornets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers bottom line:
While injuries have played a part this season, something is definitely amiss in Cleveland. They’ve gone from running a historically dominant offense to struggling to capture wins.
More importantly, they’ve struggled defensively and just don’t summon the same type of fear they did last year.
Charlotte Hornets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Basketball Betting Trends
- Charlotte is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Charlotte’s last 12 games
- Charlotte is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games.
- Also, Cleveland is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Cleveland’s last 16 games.
- Additionally, Cleveland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
Hornets Cavaliers Free Pick: Hornets +9
Here is my Hornets Cavaliers free pick. Injuries could play a factor in this meeting, with the Cavs uncertain if Donovan Mitchell will suit up. In addition, Evan Mobley, Max Strus, and Larry Nance Jr. are out while Craig Porter Jr. and Sam Merrill are game time decisions.
For the Hornets, LaMelo Ball, Collin Sexton, and Ryan Kalkbrenner are all game time decisions, which makes predicting who’ll win more uncertain.
Knueppel has been a revelation and offers reasoning for the Hornets franchise to rethink their future direction and who they should build around. He’s averaging 19.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and shooting 40.9% from deep.
While the Cavs are in a funk, the Hornets have produced their best efforts of late, with rookie Kon Knueppel putting up performances that have him in the RoY conversation.
Ultimately, I don’t like the size of the spread, so I’ll roll with the youthful Hornets to keep it closer than the spread and take the points.
Today’s NBA Free Pick
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NBA Betting Tweet Of The Day
In the last 5 games, Kon Knueppel is converting 73.3% of his attempts within the restricted area. This is a noticeable difference from his season average of 58.3%.
He’s driving more, using his body to create space, perfecting the low gather, and scoring through traffic. pic.twitter.com/Vxf8vaS7Lf
— Richie (@richierandall) December 22, 2025
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