Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets (01-21-2026) game preview: When and where to watch, expected lineup, injury report, prediction, and more

The Charlotte Hornets will prevail tonight because they offer the Cleveland Cavaliers' greatest defensive weakness the most dangerous perimeter matchup. Despite a number of ailments, the Cavaliers are the favorite while playing away from home. Sam Merrill, Max Strus, and Darius Garland are all sidelined, giving bench players the chance to take on more responsibility.

Donovan Mitchell, the standout guard for Cleveland, continues to be the center of the attack and will probably be responsible for a large portion of the scoring. The Cavaliers have gone 3-6 ATS in their last nine games, demonstrating their recent erratic performance against the spread. They do, however, have a solid straight-up road record against the Hornets.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets - When and where to watch the game

The Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets match is set to tip off Wednesday, January 21 at 7 PM ET from Spectrum Center – Charlotte, NC. ESPN, FanDuel Sports Network Ohio and FanDuel Sports Network App will broadcast the entire match. Additionally, Fubo and Prime Video will also stream the match online.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets - Expected Starting Lineups

Cleveland Cavaliers

PG Craig Porter Jr.
SG Donovan Mitchell
SF Dean Wade
PF Evan Mobley
C Jarrett Allen

Charlotte Hornets

PG LaMelo Ball
SG Kon Knueppel
SF Brandon Miller
PF Miles Bridges
C Moussa Diabate

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets - Injury Report

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Sam Merrill- Out (Hand)
• Darius Garland- Out (Re-evaluated in the next 7-to-10 days after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 right big toe sprain)
• Max Strus- Out (Foot)

Charlotte Hornets

• Tidjane Salaun- Day-to-day (Left Achilles tendinopathy)
• KJ Simpson- Out (Left hip flexor strain)
• Mason Plumlee- Out (Underwent surgery to address his right groin injury)

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Charlotte Hornets - Game Prediction

Despite having multiple injuries, the Cavaliers (24-20) remain the favorites when traveling. Sam Merrill, Max Strus, and Darius Garland are all sidelined, giving bench players the chance to take on more responsibility. The Cavaliers have gone 3-6 ATS in their last nine games, demonstrating their recent erratic performance against the spread. They will want to improve on their solid straight-up road record against the Hornets, though.

In recent games, Charlotte (16-27) has stayed around the.500 level, displaying improved net rating figures over the previous few weeks and shown the ability to produce significant offensive outputs when its key players perform well. The Hornets now have a chance to defeat one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. However, they are now prepared to take on the Cavaliers.



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