Cleveland is on the road this week for a three-game trip, beginning Monday night in uptown Charlotte. This will be a big opportunity for the Cavaliers to get a win, as their next two games are in New York on Wednesday and Miami on Friday.

For the Hornets, this year has been the exact opposite of last season. They are just 3-7 after the offseason trades of LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, and vibes around the team are flat-out bad, already with three losses of at least 30 points.

Disaster in Charlotte So Far

Last season was an incredible jump by the young Hornets. After rebuilding years with lots of losses, Charlotte was one of the best teams in the NBA over the second half of the season. Their offense was electric to watch, with LaMelo Ball running the point, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel attacking from downtown and Miles Bridges connecting all of the dots.

But Charlotte did not want Ball and Bridges to be the veteran leaders of their team. So they dealt both of them in exchange for Naz Reid, Royce O’Neale and a very intriguing unprotected Phoenix first-rounder in 2032. It was an offseason that forced the Hornets to take a step back. Although things look grim right now, I believe it was the correct decision, and those moves will help Charlotte out in the future.

As for this current season, due to key injuries to Kon Knueppel, Coby White and now Brandon Miller, the Hornets have been one of the worst teams in the NBA. Record-wise, they are still tenth in the Eastern Conference, but Charlotte has been a rough watch. They have the worst offense in basketball, play at one of the slowest paces, and besides the bigs, no one has been efficient.

Charlotte has gotten absolutely obliterated in some games, even at home. They have already suffered a 47-point loss to Atlanta, a 33-point smashing by Detroit, and most recently, they only managed to score 80 points against Boston in a 39-point defeat. All of those games were at home!

Unfortunately for the Hornets, things don’t appear to get much easier on Monday, with all of their injuries. Knueppel has been dealing with a hamstring strain since training camp and suffered a setback last week at Brooklyn. Miller is going to miss his first contest of the season, and former Cavalier Dennis Schroder is also out.

So that means the top options for Charlotte will be Naz Reid, Coby White and Grayson Allen. White is still trying to get his feet wet after returning from his calf injury, now in his first full season for his hometown Hornets.

What To Expect Tonight

Cleveland needs to approach this contest like the Milwaukee game on Halloween night. The Hornets are going to look to play with some heart after their last game. That means the Cavs have to stay focused and look to get their stars going from the jump. Against the Bucks, it was clear that going to the bigs was a point of emphasis.

While that could be the game plan here again, I look for James Harden to get going in Charlotte. He has been off to a very slow start, coming off a rough performance against New York on Saturday. But he is going to have favorable matchups against the Hornets, with the likes of Grayson Allen, Coby White, maybe even rookie Christian Anderson guarding him.

This could finally be the night when Harden takes fire. Around this same time last year (Nov 22, 2025), The Beard went for 55 points and 10 three-pointers against the Hornets, when he was still wearing an LA Clippers uniform.

JAMES HARDEN SETS THE CLIPPERS SINGLE-GAME SCORING RECORD IN WIN VS. HORNETS 🤯

55 points (35 in 1H)
10 triples (ties career high)

He is the only player that currently holds the single-game scoring record for multiple franchises ‼️ pic.twitter.com/DwBd1DXn6n

— NBA (@NBA) November 22, 2025

Injury Report

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Jarrett Allen (Knee) - Game-Time Decision
• Sam Merrill (Elbow) - Out
• Jaylon Tyson (Ankle) - Out
• Nae’Qwan Tomlin (Back) - Out
• Khalifa Diop (Knee) - Out

Charlotte Hornets

• Moussa Diabate (Quadriceps) - Game-Time Decision
• Brandon Miller (Groin) - Out
• Kon Knueppel (Hamstring) - Out
• Dennis Schroder (Hamstring) - Out
• Grant Williams (Hamstring) - Out

Projected Starting Lineup

Cleveland Cavaliers - James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Mario Hezonja, Evan Mobley

Charlotte Hornets - Coby White, Grayson Allen, Sion James, Naz Reid, Moussa Diabate

Jerseys

Cleveland Cavaliers - Statement (Black)

Charlotte Hornets - Icon (Blue)

How to Watch and Listen

Date: Monday, Nov. 9

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte

TV: DAZN