Cavaliers face a Hornets offense ranked last and missing Miller

The Cleveland Cavaliers (5-5) visit the Charlotte Hornets (3-7) at 7 p.m. ET Monday, November 9, facing the NBA's worst offense, which is without Brandon Miller and has lost six straight.

Charlotte scores 98.8 points per 100 possessions, last in the league. Its effective field-goal percentage of 46.8 is also the worst, and it ranks 29th in turnover rate.

Cleveland's defense forces few turnovers, 29th in the league, which gives the Hornets room to get shots up. The Cavaliers protect the ball on their own end, fourth in turnover rate.

Charlotte's defense offers the clearer opening. Opponents post an effective field-goal percentage of 55.9 against the Hornets, 27th in the league, and Cleveland takes 47.1% of its shots from three, seventh-most.

The glass is the Hornets' one edge. They grab 31.7% of their own misses, fifth in the league, and rank second on the defensive boards.

Donovan Mitchell leads Cleveland with 24 points a game on 48.8% shooting. Evan Mobley adds 8.1 rebounds, and James Harden runs the offense with 5.8 assists.

Moussa Diabate, Charlotte's top rebounder at 9.1 a game with 5.2 on the offensive glass, is questionable. Ryan Kalkbrenner, who blocks 1.1 shots a game, anchors the paint.

Miller, the team's leading scorer at 20.6 points, is out. So are Dennis Schroder, the top passer, and Kon Knueppel, who plays 31.4 minutes a game, along with Grant Williams and PJ Hall.

Cleveland is thin too. Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson and Nae'Qwan Tomlin are out, and center Jarrett Allen is questionable.

The Hornets' skid includes a 119-80 loss to Boston and a 124-91 loss to Detroit. Cleveland comes off a 109-97 home loss to New York.

Sportsbooks' prices give Cleveland a 76% chance to win; Keel's projection, blended with the market's view, puts it at 74%.