Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction, Preview and Odds - 02/20/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Friday, February 20, 2026

Venue:  Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

Where to Watch:  FDSOH, FDSSE-CHA

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers -4.5, Hornets +4.5; Over/Under:  235.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers -4.5, Hornets +4.5; Over/Under:  235.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers -4.5, Hornets +4.5; Over/Under:  235.5 points

Cleveland Cavaliers:  34-21 (2nd place, Central Division)

Charlotte Hornets:  26-29 (3rd place, Southeast Division)

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Cleveland Cavaliers:  9-1 last 10

Charlotte Hornets:  9-1 last 10

The Cavaliers are entering this game with a 34-21 record overall this season and they are 16-10 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 5 game winning streak with wins coming against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Sacramento Kings, the Denver Nuggets, and the Washington Wizards, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Brooklyn Nets still to be played on Thursday night. In their game against the Wizards, Sam Merrill led the team in points in that game with 32 while Donovan Mitchell was next on the team with 30 points. James Harden led the team in assists in that game with 11 while Jarrett Allen led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 54.2% from the field, 42.1% from 3-point range, and 86.5% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 120 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 115.9 PPG against them. The Cavaliers have an ATS record of 23-32 this season and their O/U record is 26-29.

The Hornets are entering this game with a 26-29 record overall this season and they are 12-14 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Atlanta Hawks, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Houston Rockets still to be played on Thursday night. In their game against the Hawks, Brandon Miller led the team in points in that game with 31 while LaMelo Ball was next on the team with 24 points. LaMelo Ball led the team in assists in that game with 6 while PJ Hall led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 37.5% from the field, 37.3% from 3-point range, and 86.2% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 113.8 PPG against them. The Hornets have an ATS record of 32-23 this season and their O/U record is 21-34.

The current betting odds have the Cavaliers listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cavaliers have looked good in their games this season with their 34-21 record overall which has them in the top half of the East. They have been a good road team too with their 16-10 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Hornets haven't looked great in their games this season with their 26-29 record overall which has them in the bottom half of the East. They haven't looked great on their home court either with their 12-14 home record this season. The Hornets have been rolling in their games lately as they are 9-1 in their last 10 games and went into the All-Star Break off a win over the Hawks. They have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA lately, but the All-Star Break has killed a lot of that momentum they had going in and they aren't in a great situation here either. They are playing this game on a back-to-back with a tough game against the Rockets the night before, and that game is going to take a lot out of them since the Rockets are one of the best teams in the West. The Cavaliers are also on a back-to-back here so they aren't in a great situation themselves, but the Cavaliers also have the Nets the night before who are one of the worst teams in the NBA, so they won't need to exert too much energy to win that one. The Cavaliers are going to be ready to go for this game with their new look team and they have also been rolling in their games lately. They are 9-1 in their last 10 games and went into the break with 5 wins in a row too. Look for the Cavaliers to follow up their game against the Nets with another strong performance here while the Hornets struggle on a back-to-back with 2 elite teams coming into town. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cavaliers to cover the spread in this game. 

Cavaliers Hornets Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Friday, February 20, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Cavaliers 112 Hornets 104.

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Cleveland Cavaliers: 23-32 ATS in all games. 8-16 ATS when playing against a team with a losing record. 7-12 ATS versus poor foul drawing teams - attempting 24 free throws/game or less. 7-3 UNDER versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 3+ per game. 

Charlotte Hornets: 33-21 ATS in all games. 14-5 ATS revenging a home loss vs opponent. 22-9 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 22-9 UNDER when playing against a team with a winning record.

Cleveland Cavaliers:  N. Tomlin (PF) Out - Calf. M. Strus (SF) Out - Foot.

Charlotte Hornets:  L. McNeeley (SF) Out - Ankle. C. White (SG) Out - Calf.

“Dean and Evan are trending toward playing (tonight). If we get Evan and Dean back, it’s going to change things as far as starting and who comes off the bench.” - Kenny Atkinson on the injuries to Dean Wade and Evan Mobley.

"We’re really excited to have X and his family joining the Hornets family. Number one, as a human being, he’s a phenomenal man and father. He showed me a ton as a person when I was in Boston, which definitely stood out to me. Then on top of that, just his overall professionalism." - Charles Lee on the addition of Xavier Tillman.

PG James Harden

SG Donovan Mitchell

SF Dean Wade

PF Evan Mobley

C Jarrett Allen

PG LaMelo Ball

SG Kon Knueppel

SF Brandon Miller

PF Grant Williams

C Ryan Kalkbrenner

PPG: Donovan Mitchell (29)

APG: James Harden (8.7)

Reb/G: Evan Mobley (8.8)

PPG: Brandon Miller (20.6)

APG: LaMelo Ball (7.4)

Reb/G: Moussa Diabate (8.6)

Coaches:

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kenny Atkinson (2nd season)

Charlotte Hornets: Charles Lee (2nd season)