Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers: Odds, injuries, storylines

The Charlotte Hornets are playing against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. The Cavaliers, 0-1, began their season in disappointing fashion on Wednesday, losing to Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Cavaliers, led by 3rd overall pick Evan Mobley, are among the youngest teams in the league, and fascinated fans in their season opener by starting three seven-footers: Lauri Markkanen, Jarrett Allen, and the aforementioned Evan Mobley.

The Hornets, though, are coming off of a massive comeback win against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, willing the game on the excellent defense from PJ Washington on Domantas Sabonis.

Charlotte Hornets odds at Cleveland Cavaliers

The Charlotte Hornets are 2.5-point favorites against the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to WynnBET. Player prop bets are unavailable, likely as a result of Terry Rozier’s status as questionable.

Streaming info for Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers

TV: Bally Sports Southeast
Radio: WFNZ 610

Another note: Bally Sports Southeast has become increasingly difficult to find as a result of Sinclair drastically reducing the number of streaming/cable companies that can show the channel. It sucks, and is increasingly frustrating considering how fun of a team the Hornets are – people (especially in Charlotte) want to watch the team.

Storylines for Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers

Terry Rozier is questionable tonight with the ankle sprain he sustained last week. He’s always the guy that seems to ‘go off’ when playing against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Last year, Rozier dropped 42 points on 23 shots in front of a Cleveland crowd. Whether Rozier plays is a question in itself. However, rushing a player back from injury is never the move – especially after investing $100 million in him.

LaMelo Ball looked like a superstar against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. He dropped 31 points on 7-9 from the 3-point line, along with nine rebounds and seven assists. If he’s able to continue that elite level of production, the Hornets are going to be in good shape.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a starting frontcourt of Evan Mobley-Lauri Markkanen-Jarrett Allen on opening night. They’ll likely stick with that – and the Hornets simply do not have the size to match up with those players. It will be interesting to see whether head coach James Borrego looks to go small (PJ Washington at the five, space things out), or possibly go as far as playing two centers (PJ Washington alongside Mason Plumlee with Nick Richards off of the bench).

Finally, Charlotte Hornets fans probably want to see James Bouknight at some point. Whether that happens could be dependent on how the game goes, or if the Hornets really need more perimeter attacking in the game. Either way, Bouknight’s debut should come relatively soon.

Injury report for Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers

Hornets:

Terry Rozier – QUESTIONABLE (ankle)

Cavs:

Dylan Windler – OUT

Darius Garland – QUESTIONABLE (ankle)

Dean Wade – QUESTIONABLE (ankle)

We will have all sorts of game coverage tonight – follow along our Twitter and check back here postgame for instant reactions.