Hornets look to spring upset and defeat unbeaten Cleveland Cavaliers

Charlotte attempts to end the Cavaliers 14-game winning streak.

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

INJURY REPORT

HORNETS: QUESTIONABLE - LaMelo Ball (L Finger), Miles Bridges (Knee Management), Tre Mann (Back Management), OUT - Mark Williams (L Foot), Nick Richards (R Rib), Daquan Jeffries (R Hand)

CAVALIERS: PROBABLE - Evan Mobley (Illness), OUT - Donovan Mitchell (Rest), Sam Merrill (L Ankle), Max Strus (R Ankle), Emoni Bates (G-League)

Game Preview

Last night, the Charlotte Hornets were able to hold off the charging Milwaukee Bucks and snap their two-game losing slide. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers haven't felt what losing feels like just yet, as they currently hold a record of 14-0 to start the season.

The Hornets have had their fair share of injuries to begin the season and it might not get any easier on the second night of a back-to-back tonight with potential key players missing. Ball, Bridges, and Mann are all listed as "questionable" for this game, which could make it even more of a challenege to defeat the unbeaten Cavaliers.

Brandon Miller has had a rough start to the season for the Hornets, but Miller is known to enjoy playing in back-to-backs, which could lead to one of his better outputs versus Cleveland. Miller is shooting just above 36% from the field and 31.5% from three, which is unlike the play we saw from Miller in his rookie campaign.

Despite Donovan Mitchell being unavailable for this contest due to rest, the Cavaliers still have plenty of options to lead the charge. One of the main reasons behind that has been the play of Darius Garland, who has averaged 21.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.4 rebounds, while shooting a surprising 53.1% from the field and 45.8% from three.

Cleveland currently leads the NBA in points per game with over 123 points a game. The Cavaliers have all had impressive numbers from Evan Mobley, Caris Levert, and Ty Jerome.

Ty Jerome, the most surprising of the three, but has been one of the biggest reasons to their success. Jerome has averaged 9.8 points off the bench, while shooting over 53% from both the field and from downtown.

For the Hornets, if they want any chance in this game, they'll most likely have to have LaMelo Ball in the lineup. Ball has been sensational for Charlotte, as he's currently having a career year with the team, averaging over 29 points a game.

One of the biggest brightsides for the Hornets has been their two-way player of Moussa Diabate. Diabate has achieved 10 rebounds or more in his last four games. As well, he's poured in two straight double-doubles off the bench.

Key Matchup: The Hornets bench versus Cleveland's bench

The Hornets bench has been one of their better aspects this season, but similar to Charlotte, it's been a bright spot for Cleveland. The Cavaliers are currently 7th in bench scoring with 39.3 bench points per game, while the Hornets are 8th in bench scoring with 39.0 points per game.

For the Hornets, Tre Mann and Cody Martin have led the charge off the bench and for the Cavaliers, it's been Caris Levert and Ty Jerome. This matchup, if Ball, Bridges, and Mann can suit up, could come down to which team's bench outperforms the other.

Projected Starting Fives

Position	Charlotte Hornets	Cleveland Cavaliers
Point Guard	LaMelo Ball	Darius Garland
Shooting Guard	Brandon Miller	Isaac Okoro
Small Forward	Josh Green	Georges Niang
Power Forward	Miles Bridges	Evan Mobley
Center	Grant Williams	Jarrett Allen

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