Hornets strive to keep momentum rolling with home matchup against Cavaliers

The Hornets (16-27) return home on Wednesday for a quick pit stop after a five-game road trip out west, this time hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers (24-20). This will be the third of four games between the teams this season, with the previous two games split with a win each way.

The Hornets generated quite the buzz on their recent road trip, sporting a 55-point victory over the Jazz, an 18-point win over the Lakers, and a 23-point win over the Nuggets during the trip.

The offense has been red-hot as of late for the Hornets, with a 124.3 offensive rating over the last 15 games being the best in the NBA. Add in a passable defense, and you get a team whose net rating over the same time frame is third in the NBA, just behind the Celtics and Pistons, who are currently the top-two seeds in the conference.

The starting lineup in particular has become one of the most potent five-man lineups in the entire NBA.

Of lineups with at least 100 minutes played together on the season, the Ball/Miller/Knueppel/Bridges/Diabate lineup ranks second in the NBA in net rating at 25.2. The only lineup with a better rating? The defending champion Thunder’s lineup of Gilgeous-Alexander/Wallace/Dort/Williams/Holmgren.

Wednesday’s game will be the first night of a back-to-back that sees the Hornets travel to Orlando to play the Magic tomorrow night.

The Cavaliers come into the game after a blowout 126-104 loss to the Thunder on Monday. Donovan Mitchell led the team in scoring with 19 points and also generated three steals on the other end.

The offense as a whole has regressed from the highs of last season for the Cavaliers. After leading the league during the 2024-25 season with a 121.0 offensive rating, the Cavaliers have seen a dip to 116.5 this season that ranks tenth league-wide.

Key Matchup - Controlling the Pace

As previously mentioned, both the Hornets and the Cavaliers rank inside the top-10 in the NBA in offensive rating. These teams score the basketball through efficient shooting, a variety of talented scorers, and a team-based approach that results in quality assisted shots.

One area where these two potent offenses drastically differ, though, is the pace at which they play. While the Cavaliers are sixth in the league with 102.3 possessions per 48 minutes played, the Hornets are at the other end of the spectrum with 98.96 possessions, which ranks as the fifth-slowest in the NBA.

The team that is able to control the pace to be more towards their preferred game plan, avoid mistakes, and maintain efficiency should be in a prime position to take what could be a great battle.

INJURY REPORT

Hornets: OUT Mason Plumlee (Groin), K.J. Simpson (Hip); QUESTIONABLE Tidjane Salaun (Achilles)

Cavaliers: OUT Sam Merrill (Hand), Darius Garland (Toe), Max Strus (Foot)

Projected Starting Lineups

Position	Charlotte Hornets	Cleveland Cavaliers
Point Guard	LaMelo Ball	Craig Porter Jr.
Shooting Guard	Brandon Miller	Donovan Mitchell
Small Forward	Kon Knueppel	De'Andre Hunter
Power Forward	Miles Bridges	Evan Mobley
Center	Ryan Kalkbrenner	Jarrett Allen

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