Charlotte Hornets look to finally get a rare win over the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Charlotte Hornets haven’t had much success against the Cleveland Cavaliers as of late. Can they finally reverse that trend now that King James is gone?
If there’s one constant in the NBA, it’s LeBron James beating the Charlotte Hornets (4-5). In fact, LeBron is 42-6 against the Hornets/Bobcats in his career. That’s pretty impressive… or depressing if you’re a Hornets fan.
It’s no surprise that the Cleveland Cavaliers (1-7) have dominated the Hornets the past few years. Out of their last 14 games against each other, the Hornets have won exactly one game. That game was on February 3rd, 2016.
All this could change Saturday night, however, as anyone who isn’t living under a rock knows, King James is no longer in Cleveland. Time to celebrate, right? Well, they still have to actually play the game and nothing is guaranteed in sports. Still, this is a game the Hornets really should win.
Charlotte’s last contest ended with a 107-111 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are currently 7th in the East. Cleveland’s last game was a loss, as well. That game was a 91-110 loss to the Denver Nuggets. The Cavaliers are in last place in the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte Hornets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
7:00 p.m. EST, Saturday, November 3rd, 2018
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast
Injury Report
CHA:
None
CLE:
Kevin Love – Toe (Out)
Things to watch for
Without Kevin Love, Cleveland is going to be really vulnerable. It could get out of hand quickly, but this is the Hornets we’re talking about. They’ve definitely found new and various ways to disappoint. Hopefully, that isn’t the case. Kemba Walker has tallied point totals of 19 and 21 in his last two games. You know he wants to correct that and he should be able to against this team.
Keys to the game
Cleveland obviously doesn’t excel in many categories, but one stat they really struggle with is assists. They rank 27th in the league in that particular stat, so it’s imperative that the Hornets use this to their advantage.
The Cavs’ less than stellar passing, of course, leads to limited scoring. The Cavs only average 107 points a game, good for 24th in the NBA and is seven points lower than what Charlotte averages. Disrupting passing lanes will help limit any opportunities the Cavaliers will have at scoring.
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Most would assume that this game is essentially a gimmie, but any team can rise to the occasion and pull off upsets. It would be best not to take any team lightly, but this is a game the Hornets can easily win if they don’t play down to Cleveland’s level. Here’s hoping they finally pull off a win against the Cavs on Saturday night.