New Orleans Hornets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Pick

NBA Betting Trends

NBA – February 20th

The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to kick off their second half of the NBA betting campaign on Wednesday night in a nationally televised home clash with the New Orleans Hornets.

The Hornets got back to work on Tuesday, and they were beaten up by the Chicago Bulls 96-87 at home. It wasn’t all that much of a surprise to see Chicago win the game, as the problems that we have always known the Hornets to have once again reared their ugly head. This is a team that can play some defense, as demonstrated by the 88.5 points per game they have allowed in their last six games. However, consistency on offense has been a real problem. Take away the play of F Ryan Anderson and his insane rate of jacking up three-point shots, and the rest of the team just isn’t all that talented offensively. Men like F Anthony Davis have to get more involved in the offense on a regular basis, and until he and his mates can do that, New Orleans is still quite a long ways away from being a competitive team in the tremendous Western Conference.

The hope is there that next season is the year that the Cavaliers can make their run once again for the first time since F LeBron James left the team. The team ended the first half of the season by just missing in a one-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and this is the final game of a seven-game home stand that has featured three wins and three losses. All of the games that were wins were at least competitive, and the Cavs were just a bucket away from being 5-1 ATS in the first six games here at the Q. When you look at the core stats for Cleveland, you can see where youth is being served. The combination of G Kyrie Irving and G Dion Waiters is going to work for quite some time in Cleveland, and the addition of F Marreese Speights from the Memphis Grizzlies paired with F Tristan Thompson is a nice inside duo as well. The depth isn’t there on this club yet, but if men like G Wayne Ellington and C Tyler Zeller can continue to contribute and one more big man joins the team, this could be the club to watch for next season.

Prediction:

Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, this is this year, not next year, and the team isn’t quite there yet. As a result, this game could be a struggle offensively, knowing how well the Hornets play defensively, particularly in the paint. Go with New Orleans, even in the second game of a back-to-back. New Orleans 95 – Cleveland 89