Game Time: 10:00 PM ET, Friday, February 4th, 2022 

Venue:  Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina

Where to Watch:  NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread: Hornets -4.5; O/U 218.5

BetMGM:  Spread:  NL

VegasInsider:  Spread: Hornets -4.5; O/U 219.5

WynnBet: Spread:  NL

Cavaliers: 31-21, 5th place Eastern Conference

Hornets: 28-24, 7th place Eastern Conference

Finally an Eastern Conference matchup with direct results on the standings.  Two teams that vaulted the standings this season because of the moves they made in the off-season.  The Cleveland Cavaliers added the absolute stud C Jarrett Allen… a man that wasn’t given his credit or due in Brooklyn.  He is balling out in Cleveland: 16 ppg, 10 rpb, 1.4 blocks and 2 assists.  Jarret Allen is the one who got away in Brooklyn… He’s the one that landed in Cleveland ready to prove everything.  They also drafted 7’0 Center/Power Forward Evan Mobley with the 3rd overall pick.  Evan Mobley provided another Jarrett Allen with 15.2 ppg and 8.2 rpg in his ROOKIE year!  Evan should be the favorite for the ROY though lots of people also like SF Scottie Barnes with the Toronto Raptors.  The two men can play together or separately making life easier for the NBA’s current revelation, Cavs Leading Scorer PG Draius Garland at 19.8 ppg, and 8.2 apg.  The Cavs are solid with great young talent.  How often have we ever been able to say that in a non-Lebron James year?  The Charlotte Hornets have been building slowly that is for sure… Decades of not knowing if they would ever find enough real players to produce a winner… Then all of a sudden PG LaMelo Ball looks like the real deal 10x all-star that was promised with his brother Lonzo.  Yet LaMelo isn’t alone in Charlotte they also have the Clippers #12 overall pick from 2018 in SF Mile Bridges who is also a star on his own (and would be more valuable had the Clips kept him instead of signing Kawhi Leonard… such are curses).  Miles grabs 19.9 ppg, 7,2 apg, and 3.4 apg.  This Charlotte team is lifted by the former Celtics Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward.  All the Hornets need is really a solid big man to never fear any other team. These are fun teams.  The Cavs have the big man advantage in any head to head, the Hornets have the guard advantage because PG Colin Sexton is out and PG Ricky Rubio is out.   Let’s look at the numbers and drop $500 to make $950!

The Cleveland Cavaliers have won 7 of their last ten games.  They suffered a deep embarrassment in their last game as Darius Garland sat out with back soreness… They lost to the Houston Rockets!  Yuck.  The Houston Rockets have been built to lose like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Orlando Magic…. The Detroit Pistons are just awful through trying badly.  The big jinx on this game for the Cavaliers is of course that Darius Garland will be listed as Questionable which means he may not play at all or he may play the whole thing through minor pain… It’s more likely a smart organization holds Darius out to prevent further and future injury.

The Charlotte Hornets have only won 5 of their last ten games. They have even lost their last two games to the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Clippers.  They also have only gone 5-5 ATS.  We are still going to put the $500 on the Hornets… simply because their injury list is much more manageable.  The trade deadline is a week away.  It’s almost on us.  The Hornets will signal they are serious about this season if C Mason Plumlee and some future picks are shipped out for a better Center or combination of Center/Power Forward.  It’s certainly an available thing for the Hornets with Indiana looking for answers.  

Al McMordie SWEPT THE BOARD yesterday with Bucknell and Vanderbilt, and is back in action in the NBA tonight, on Wednesday. Don't miss Big Al's NBA Non-Division Game of the Month, as it's out of a 100% Perfect, 12-0 ATS angle. Get the 13th Winner in a Row right here, and WIN BIG on Thursday!Go get it! Get Big Al's picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB, college football… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

The Cavaliers are 31-21 on the season, but 30-20-2 ATS.  They have logged 20 Overs and 32 Unders.  They are 15-12 in road games this season so far.

The Hornets are 28-24 on the season, but 31-21 ATS.  They have notched 26 Overs, 25 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 14-8 in home games so far this season.

The Cavs are 23rd in scoring with 106.8 ppg, 12th in rebounds with 45.1 per game, and 17th in AST/TO ratio with 1.7. They are shooting 6th in FG%, 16th in 3PT%, and 24th in FT%.  They slaughter opponents on defense where they rank 2nd while only allowing opponents 102.5 ppg.  That is a great defensive mark.  

The Hornets are 1st in scoring with 114.3 ppg, 20th in rebounds with 44.3 per game, and 2nd in AST/TO ratio with 2.1.  They are shooting 13th on FG%, 5th in 3PT%, and 28th in FT%.  The margins are so slim in the NBA that if they could get the free throw numbers into the top ten then this would be a top 5 team…. Not in the East… just a top five team.  Imagine the #1 scoring NBA team adding 2 pts a game.  How could that be stopped?.  The downfall for real for this team is on the defensive end where they rank 29th while allowing 114.6 ppg from opponents.  So if this team took a defensive and FT jump we are literally talking about the Phoenix Suns of the East!  The trade deadline is calling… the target should be Domantas Sabonis… Plumlee, Kelly Oubre Jr, Gordon Hayward and picks… do it.  Do it soon. Do it before you regret it…  do it before Golden State gives Kuminga, Wiseman, and Poole for Sabonis.

Our prediction for Friday, February 4th is….  Hornets 120 - Cavaliers 112

The Hornets have the clear advantage if Darius Garland doesn’t play or plays while limited.  The spread should play right into your hands if you are picking Charlotte so take the points and smile with the winnings.

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Charlotte is 4-3 ATS versus Cleveland over the last 3 seasons.

Cleveland is 2-1 ATS versus Charlotte at Charlotte the last 3 seasons.

2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER.

Cavaliers: PG Darius Garland (Back) Quest ** PF Lauri Markkanen (ankle) Out ** PG Ricky Rubio (knee) Out ** PG Colin Sexton (knee) Out

Cavaliers: PF Evan Mobley, SF Isaac Okoro, C Jarret Allen, SG Cedi Osman, PG Brandon Goodwin ?

Hornets: SF Mile Bridges, Pf P.J. Washington, C Mason Plumlee, PG LaMelo Ball, PG Terry Rozier

Cavaliers

Points: Darius Garland 19.8

Assists: Darius Garland 8.2

Rebounds: Jarrett Allen 10.7

Steals: Ricky Rubio 1.4

Blocks: Evan Mobley 1.7

Hornets

Points: Miles Bridges 19.9

Assists: LaMelo Ball 7.7

Rebounds: Mason Plumlee 7.6

Steals: LaMelo Ball 1.5

Blocks: P.J. Washington 1.0

Cavs: J.B. Bickerstaff

Hornets: James Borrego