Cavaliers vs. Hornets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Wednesday, Jan. 21

Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers are struggling, losing badly to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, and they are down guard Darius Garland (foot/toe) tonight against the Charlotte Hornets.

Garland is expected to miss at least the next week, but the Cavs are … in this matchup with a frisky Charlotte team.

The Hornets are one of the best teams against the spread in the NBA (25-18), and they rank … in the league in net rating. A recent 5-5 stretch, which included a win on Sunday over the Denver Nuggets, has helped boost the Hornets and keep them in the mix for a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.

Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball are an intriguing young trio, and these teams have split their two meetings so far this season.

Can the Cavs, who are seventh in the East this season, win and cover as favorites on Wednesday?

Let’s dive into the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for this Eastern Conference clash on Jan. 21.

Cavaliers vs. Hornets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Cavs -2.5 (-118)
Hornets +2.5 (-102)

Moneyline

Cavs: -148
Hornets: +124

Total

236.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Cavaliers vs. Hornets How to Watch

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 21
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Spectrum Center
How to Watch (TV): ESPN
Cavs record: 24-20
Hornets record: 16-27

Cavaliers vs. Hornets Injury Reports

Cavs Injury Report

Darius Garland – out
Chris Livingston – out
Luke Travers – out
Max Strus – out
Sam Merrill – out

Hornets Injury Report

PJ Hall – out
Tidjane Salaun – probable
Liam McNeeley – out
Antonio Reeves – out
Mason Plumlee – out
KJ Simpson – out

Cavaliers vs. Hornets Best NBA Prop Bets

Cavs Best NBA Prop Bet

Donovan Mitchell OVER 5.5 Assists (-150)

In today’s best NBA props column for SI Betting, I shared why Mitchell could have a big game as a playmaker:

Cavs star Donovan Mitchell should take on an expanded role as a playmaker on Wednesday with Garland out of the lineup, and he enters this game averaging 5.7 assists per game for Cleveland.

Shockingly, Mitchell is averaging slightly fewer assists per game (5.6) in the 16 games that Garland has missed, but I think he's a solid bet to go OVER this prop against Charlotte.

The Hornets rank just 24th in the NBA in opponent assists per game, and Mitchell has five and seven dimes in his two meetings with them. On top of that, the Cavs guard has thrived as a passer this month, averaging 6.3 assists per game while posting four games with eight or more dimes.

He's averaging 11.6 potential assists per game for the season, so the floor is certainly there for Mitchell when it comes to this prop.

Cavaliers vs. Hornets Prediction and Pick

Cleveland is 1-1 at home against the Hornets this season, and it still has the worst against the spread record in the NBA, covering in just 15 of 44 games.

The Hornets are 9-6 against the spread as home dogs this season, and they’re coming off a strong West Coast trip that has pushed them to No. 1 in the NBA in net rating over their last 10 games (+10.9).

A lot of that is helped by a 55-point win over the Utah Jazz, but the Hornets have been frisky as an underdog all season long, including an overtime win over this Cavs team.

During that same 10-game stretch, Cleveland is just 14th in the league in net rating, and now it’s down Darius Garland on Wednesday.

I think this is a great spot to take the points with the Hornets, as Cleveland has proven all season long that it can’t be trusted to cover. The Cavs are also just 10-9 on the road, so there’s no guarantee they even win this Eastern Conference clash.

Pick: Hornets +2.5 (-102 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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