The Eastern Conference’s top team will be at home when the Cleveland Cavaliers (38-14) welcome the Charlotte Hornets (27-26) to the Quicken Loans Arena. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 24 and can be seen on FxO and FxS.
The Cavaliers enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Lakers 120-111 in their last matchup. Kyrie Irving was the game’s leading scorer with 35 points on 15-for-24 shooting. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 117-95 win against the Pacers in their last game. Kemba Walker led the game in scoring by accounting for 25 points on 10-for-21 shooting.
Over the last five games, Irving has taken his game to another level for the Cavaliers, averaging 28.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.4 three-pointers. The Hornets also have their own player combo that has upped their production in that same time frame. Walker has averaged 24.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers, while Nicolas Batum has put up 17.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 2.8 three-pointers.
The Hornets may not find many second-chance opportunities in this matchup. They’re ranked 27th in the league in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 20.5%), whereas Cleveland is fourth-best in the NBA on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 78.5%).
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Hornets had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 106-97 win. In the loss, Irving led all scorers on the team with 26 points.
Notes
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a superb 21-6. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Charlotte Hornets have an underachieving record of 5-21.
When the Cavaliers give up 100 or more points, they are 17-8. When the Hornets hit triple digits, they also have a winning record (22-5).
The Cavaliers have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA (107.7). The Hornets are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 102.2 (ranked 11th).
Cleveland averages fewer possessions per game than Charlotte, with 95.5 compared to 98.1. However, the Cavaliers score an average of 1.077 points per possession, more than the 1.040 that the Hornets score.
Cleveland is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 51.8% (ranked fifth in the NBA). Charlotte is a subpar 5-13 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Cleveland Cavaliers attempt 28.0 three point field goals per game and the Charlotte Hornets attempt 29.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Cleveland has a winning 25-12 record, while Charlotte is 25-20.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are among the best in the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.75 (ranked fifth). Ranking seventh, the Charlotte Hornets have an A/TO of 1.74.
The Cavaliers rank eighth in rebounds per game with 44.8, while the Hornets rank 11th with 44.2 per game.
The Charlotte Hornets rank 25th in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank 10th in defensive rebounding.
The Hornets’ opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 13.4% this season. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a solid 20-9 record when their TOV% is 13.4% or higher.
