The Cleveland Cavaliers (35-21) look to extend their six-game winning streak as they hit the road to face the Charlotte Hornets (26-30) on Friday night at the Spectrum Center. Coming off a dominant 112-84 victory over Brooklyn on Thursday in their first game after the All-Star Break, Cleveland is playing the second night of a back-to-back, having integrated James Harden successfully into a lineup that now features a healthy Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The Cavaliers enter as 5.5 to 6.5-point favorites, seeking to at a minimum solidify their fourth place standing in the Eastern Conference.

Even with last night’s loss at home to the Rockets, the Hornets have still won eight of their last ten to climb into tenth in the Eastern Conference and the final spot in the Play-In Tournament. They are just four games behind the Magic in the Southeast Division and 4.5 games behind Philadelphia and the 6^th seed in the East. The Hornets are 9-2 in the second half of back-to-backs. As far as individuals are concerned, Brandon Miller has taken a significant leap as a scorer for Charlotte, averaging 20.5 points this season, and Kon Knueppel is challenging for Rookie of the Year honors (18.8PPG).

This is the fourth meeting of the season between these teams. The Hornets took the season opener, but the Cavs have taken the last two.

Lets take a closer look at the matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

After 24 years, the NBA is back on NBC and Peacock, combining the nostalgia of an iconic era with the innovative future of basketball coverage. The NBA on NBC YouTube channel delivers fans must-see highlights, analysis, and exclusive and unique content. 

Game Details and How to Watch Live: Cavaliers at Hornets

• Date: Friday, February 20, 2026
• Time: 7PM EST
• Site: Spectrum Center
• City: Charlotte, NC
• Network/Streaming: FDSN Ohio, FDSN Southeast

Rotoworld has you covered with all the latest NBA Player News for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Game Odds: Cavaliers at Hornets

The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:

• Moneyline: Cleveland Cavaliers (-225), Charlotte Hornets (+185)
• Spread: Cavaliers -6.5
• Total: 230.5 points

This game opened Cavaliers -4.5 with the Total set at 235.5.

Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule! 

Expected Starting Lineups: Cavaliers at Hornets

Cleveland Cavaliers

• PG James Harden
• SG Donovan Mitchell
• SF Dean Wade
• PF Evan Mobley
• C Jarrett Allen

Charlotte Hornets

• PG Lonzo Ball
• SG Kon Knueppel
• SF Grant Williams
• PF Brandon Miller
• C Ryan Kalkbrenner

Injury Report: Cavaliers at Hornets

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Nai’Qwan Tomlin (calf)is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
• Max Strus (foot) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game

Charlotte Hornets

• Liam McNeeley (ankle) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
• Grant Williams (knee) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
• Coby White (calf) is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game
• Miles Bridges (suspended) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
• Moussa Diabate (suspended) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game

Important stats, trends and insights: Cavaliers at Hornets

• The Hornets are 12-15 at home this season
• The Cavaliers are 16-10 on the road this season
• The Hornets are 34-22 ATS this season / 16-11 at home
• The Cavaliers are 24-32 ATS this season / 13-13 on the road
• The OVER has cashed in 26 of the Cavaliers’ 56 games this season (26-30)
• The OVER has cashed in just 21 of the Hornets’ 56 games this season (21-35)
• Each of these teams is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
 
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s Hornets and Cavaliers’ game:

• Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline
• Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Cavaliers -6.5 ATS
• Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 230.5

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar! 

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: 

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) 
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) 
• Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)