Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction, 1/21/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets

Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Location: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC

TV: ESPN

The Charlotte Hornets (16-27) welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers (24-20) at Spectrum Center on Wednesday.

The Cavaliers faced the Thunder and took a loss by a score of 136-104 in their last contest. Cleveland wrapped up the contest having earned a 37.4% field goal percentage (34 out of 91) and made 8 of their 35 shots from downtown. From the free throw line, the Cavaliers made 28 of 35 tries for a rate of 80.0%. Concerning getting rebounds, they earned 38 with 3 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 32 assists in the matchup in addition to forcing 14 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In regard to defense, Cleveland allowed the other team to shoot 55.6% from the floor on 50 of 90 shooting. Oklahoma City earned 31 dimes and had 10 steals in this contest. In addition, Oklahoma City snagged 42 boards (15 offensive, 27 defensive) and got 12 blocks. Oklahoma City went 65.0% at the free throw line by making 13 of their 20 tries. They also converted 23 of their 47 attempts from 3-point land. In reference to personal fouls, the Cavaliers ended up walking away with 21 and the Thunder finished the game with 22 personal fouls.

Donovan Mitchell is someone who played a role for the game. He walked away with 19 points on 5 of 18 shooting. He saw the court for 35 minutes and also snagged 4 rebounds. Mitchell finished 27.8% from the field and distributed 3 assists.

Get all of our NBA Picks Today

Cleveland will enter this contest with a record of 24-20 this season. They lose possession via turnover 14.4 times per contest and as a squad they commit 20.6 personal fouls every game. As a team, Cleveland is pulling down 44.6 rebounds per contest and has tallied 1,259 dimes on the season, which is 5th in the league in terms of passing. The Cavaliers are hitting 35.7% from downtown (656 of 1,838) and 78.1% from the free throw line. They are averaging 119.6 points per outing (4th in the league) while hitting 47.1% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Cavaliers are forcing their opponents into 15.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.3 fouls. They are currently ranked 26th in the league in giving up assists with 1,205 surrendered on the year. The Cavaliers defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 46.8% (1,844 of 3,941) and they relinquish 44.5 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They give up 38.6% on 3-point attempts and they rank 21st in the league in points per game from their opponents (117.8).

When they last played, the Hornets got the victory with a final of 110-87 when they played the Nuggets. Regarding team rebounding, Charlotte allowed Denver to pull down 48 in all (9 offensive). They finished 21.1% from beyond the arc by shooting 8 of 38 and finished the contest at 15 out of 18 at the free throw line (83.3%). The Hornets allowed the Nuggets to knock down 32 out of 79 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 40.5% in this contest. In all, the Hornets finished 44 out of 89 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.4%. In reference to 3-point attempts, Charlotte buried 11 of 34 tries (32.4%). They were able to knock down 11 of the free throw tries for a rate of 84.6%. The Nuggets earned 15 personal fouls for the contest which got the Hornets to the free throw line for a total of 13 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 10 times, while earning 7 steals in the matchup. The Hornets were able to pull down 33 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 43 in the matchup.

Brandon Miller pitched in for the Hornets for the game. Miller tallied 23 points in his 24 minutes on the court and added 1 assist for the game. He buried 8 out of 15 in this contest for a field goal rate of 53.3%, and had 4 rebounds.

Charlotte has a record of 16-27 this season. The Hornets have committed 19.4 fouls per contest and they shoot 81.4% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 26.7 times per contest (12th in the league) and they cough up possession 15.5 times per contest. Charlotte has scored 5,006 pts so far this season (116.4 per game) and they pull in 45.5 boards per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Hornets are hitting on 46.2% from the field, which ranks them 24th in basketball.

The Charlotte defense allows 37.4% on 3-point attempts (576 of 1,542) and their opponents are connecting on 80.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 27.7 dimes and 39.8 boards on a nightly basis, ranking them 24th and 2nd in the NBA. The Hornets on the defensive end are ranked 17th in the league in points per game surrendered with 116.4. They are able to force 12.4 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 48.0% from the field (24th in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Cleveland

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get NBA picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.