Charlotte Hornets hunt another win vs lowly Cleveland Cavaliers

The Charlotte Hornets are seeking a fifth win in six games as they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight, who have lost ten of their last twelve.

After a tough loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, the Charlotte Hornets (13-17) bounced back nicely on Tuesday night, securing a win against a tough Sacramento Kings team. There’s little time to rest, though, as a young Cleveland Cavaliers (6-21) team awaits them tonight.

This is a game in which the Hornets should be favored to win, even being on the second night of a back-to-back. The Cavaliers have hit a rough patch after starting the season off with energy and competitiveness. It’s one of those games where Charlotte must simply take care of business on the road.

Tonight’s duel will be the first of three match-ups this season with the Cavaliers. We will see them again shortly after the new year, and then one last time in March. These are two very young teams that are trying to find an identity.

Like I briefly mentioned earlier, Charlotte’s last contest was a 110-102 win over Sacramento. Cleveland’s last contest was a 133-113 loss to the defending NBA Champions, the Toronto Raptors.

Charlotte Hornets vs Cleveland Cavaliers
7:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, December 18th, 2019
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Fox Sports Southeast

Stream: Fubo.tv

Injury Report:

CHA: 

Nicolas Batum – Hand (Questionable)

PJ Washington – Finger (Out)

CLE:

Kevin Porter Jr. – Shoulder (Questionable)

Dylan Windler – Leg (Out)

Things to watch for:

I’ve already mentioned this, but Charlotte is on the second night of a back-to-back, while the Cavaliers had last night off. Traveling from Charlotte to Cleveland after a close game is going to be tough for this young group, but they must remain focused and get the job done.

In his first season of NBA coaching, John Beilein seems to have lost his voice in the locker room. Reports indicate that his players are not responding well to him at the moment, so it will be something to watch for sure.

Keys to the game:

Cleveland’s defense as of late has been absolutely horrible, giving up an average of 122 points over the past six games. On the season, the Cavaliers rank 29th in defensive rating, ahead of only the Washington Wizards.

I’d like to see the Hornets really move the ball well and try to attack early on in this game and get out to an early lead, especially being that this is a back-to-back. Make them have to fight and claw their way back into the game.

We’ll see if the Charlotte Hornets can make the fans happy and pick up another win tonight. They’ve been a surprise to begin this season, and will be expected to win games like this. Let’s see what happens!