The Charlotte Hornets will be at AmericanAirlines Arena to play a division foe in the Miami Heat. The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Apr. 7 and will air on SPSO and Sun Sports.
The Heat got blown out by the Pacers 112-89 on Sunday. Dwyane Wade finished with 27 points to lead the game. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 92-91 win over the 76ers on Saturday. Kemba Walker led the game in scoring with 24 points on 11-for-21 shooting.
Second-chance points might be scarce for Miami in this matchup. They rank 26th in the NBA in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 23.0%), while the Hornets are best in the league on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 79.5%).
The Hornets have won two out of three against the Heat this season, including a close 78-76 victory in their last matchup. Bismack Biyombo played a huge role in the victory by recording a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Heat enter the game with records of 34-43 Straight Up (SU) and 34-40-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games.
On the other side, Charlotte has a SU record of 33-43 and an ATS record of 36-38-2. In divisional games, Charlotte has gone 8-6 SU and 8-5-1 ATS. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Hornets. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.83. The Hornets are one of the top defensive teams in the league, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 97.0 points allowed per game.
Charlotte beat Miami in their most recent meeting this season, but the Heat still lead the head-to-head record, 8-2 SU, over the last 10 matchups. Additionally, with a 6-3-1 record, the Heat have the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Miami and Charlotte each held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last 10 meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHA, ATS Winner – CHA
Notes
While Miami puts up an average of just 94.4 points per game (ranked 28th), Charlotte ranks fourth in points allowed, giving up 97.0 points per game.
While Miami puts up an average of just 96.8 points per game at home (ranked 26th), Charlotte ranks fifth in points allowed on the road, giving up 97.3 points per game.
The Miami Heat lost their last game by 23 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Charlotte Hornets are 8-12. Miami is 2-11 in blowouts this season.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Miami Heat are a solid 29-17. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Charlotte Hornets have a losing record of 12-33.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Heat are just 5-26 this season. Charlotte is a winning 21-10 when it reaches the century mark.
The Heat have an offensive rating of 101.2 (ranked 20th). The Hornets rank fourth for their defensive rating of 100.1.
Miami averages fewer possessions per game than Charlotte, with 93.3 compared to 96.9. However, the Heat score an average of 1.012 points per possession, more than the .980 that the Hornets score.
The Miami Heat average an effective field goal percentage of 50.1% this season. The Charlotte Hornets have an abysmal record of 7-21 when opponents have an EFF% of 50.1% or greater.
On average, the Charlotte Hornets make 20.4 assists per game and the Miami Heat make 19.9. Charlotte is ranked 26th, while Miami is ranked 29th.
The Miami Heat average 4.4 blocks per game for a rank of 22nd. The Charlotte Hornets rank higher (seventh), earning 5.6 blocks each contest.
The Miami Heat are among the worst offensive rebounding teams (ranked 29th), while the Charlotte Hornets are one of the NBA’s top defensive rebounding teams (ranked third).
Miami averages 8.1 steals per game, ranking 10th in the league. Charlotte is a subpar 7-12 when it gives up at least 8 steals.
