Hornets vs Cavaliers Prediction, Picks & Odds for Tonight’s NBA Game

The Cavaliers are missing some key pieces, and while a win still seems likely, Hornets F Miles Bridges will do his part to keep things within the spread.

Phil Naessens - Contributor at Covers.com
Phil Naessens • Betting Analyst
Dec 22, 2025 • 08:37 ET • 4 min read

NBA

Match starts: 7 hrs
CLE
50 %
CHA
50 %
EXPERT PICK - PROP
Miles Bridges o18.5  Points Scored (-105) Miles Bridges o18.5 Points Scored (-105)
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Miles Bridges Charlotte Hornets NBA
Photo By - Imagn Images. Hornets F Miles Bridges (0) takes a shot.

The Charlotte Hornets visit Rocket Arena for the second time in eight days for an NBA Eastern Conference matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cleveland defense struggles mightily without DPOY Evan Mobley on the floor, and my Hornets vs. Cavaliers predictions expect a big scoring night from Charlotte’s Miles Bridges as a result. 

Read on for my NBA picks for Monday, December 22.

Hornets vs Cavaliers prediction

Hornets vs Cavaliers best bet: Miles Bridges Over 18.5 points (-105)

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges enters tonight’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers riding a hot hand.

The Hornets forward has poured in 19+ points in four of his last five games, and he has a good matchup to exploit tonight.

With Evan Mobley out, the Cavs allow 53 paint points per game, and there won’t be anyone on the Cavs team who can consistently prevent Bridges from getting buckets.

The Cavs are on a three-game losing skid without their DPOY, and I expect Bridges to keep up his hot hand.

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Hornets vs Cavaliers same-game parlay

In addition to my best bet, Darius Garland is coming off a 35-point night against Chicago and is averaging nearly 23 points per game in his last five.

Cleveland is 0-5-0 ATS in their previous five games, and has dropped three straight games without Mobley, while Charlotte has covered the spread in three of five. 

Hornets vs Cavaliers SGP

  • Miles Bridges Over 18.5 points
  • Darius Garland Over 20.5 points
  • Hornets +9.5

Our "from downtown" SGP: Kon Artist

Rookie Kon Knueppel has been on fire. He’s making 41% of his nearly nine long-range attempts and has knocked down at least four or more triples in three of his previous six games.

Hornets vs Cavaliers SGP

  • Miles Bridges Over 18.5 points
  • Darius Garland Over 20.5 points
  • Hornets +9.5
  • Kon Knueppel Over 3.5 threes

Hornets vs Cavaliers odds

  • Spread: Hornets +9 (-110)| Cavaliers -9 (-110)
  • Moneyline: Hornets +300 | Cavaliers -380
  • Over/Under: Over 238.5 (-110) | Under 238.5 (-110)

Hornets vs Cavaliers betting trend to know

The Cleveland Cavaliers have only hit the Moneyline in 28 of their last 54 games (-38.50 Units / -19% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Hornets vs. Cavaliers.

How to watch Hornets vs Cavaliers

Location Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Date Monday, December 22, 2025
Tip-off 7:00 p.m. ET
TV Peacock

Hornets vs Cavaliers latest injuries

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Phil Naessens
Betting Analyst

Prior to joining Covers in 2022, Phil Naessens spent 38 years as a resident tennis pro in Las Vegas, Mykonos, and Corfu, Greece. He’s the past host of the Phil Naessens Show (Armed Forces Radio), and currently hosts the Crush and Rush Tennis Podcast.

Phil is the author of the Betting 101 series (MLB, NFL, NCAAF, and Tennis) and has written for numerous publications, including Advance Local, SB Nation, FanSided, and Lenny Melnick Fantasy Sports. 

His favorite sports to bet on are tennis, MLB, WNBA, Euro men’s and women’s hoops, NCAA sports, NFL, and the NBA. Phil has numerous betting accounts in the US and Europe, and his best advice is to line shop for the best value possible.

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