The Charlotte Hornets (38-29) travel to AmericanAirlines Arena to square off against the division rival Miami Heat (39-28), who are currently the top team in the Southeast. The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 17 and will air on SUN and FxS.
The Heat were victorious over the Nuggets 124-119 on Monday. Luol Deng played well, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds, and two steals for the Heat. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 107-99 win over the Magic on Wednesday. Nicolas Batum played well for Charlotte, posting 26 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds.
Deng has really been playing well as of late for the Heat, averaging 17.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.4 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.6 three-pointers over the last five games. On the other side, the Hornets have their own duo that have been hot in that span. Batum has averaged 18.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.6 blocks, and 2.2 three-pointers, while Marvin Williams has put up 21.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers.
The Heat have won two out of three against the Hornets this season, including a close 98-95 victory in their last matchup. Marvin Williams scored a game-high 27 points.
The Heat are attempting to build on their records of 39-28 Straight Up (SU) and 35-31-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 6-7 SU and 5-7-1 ATS when playing their division. The Heat are the top team in the league at blocking shots, averaging 6.6 blocks per game.
On the other side, Charlotte has a SU record of 38-29 and an ATS record of 35-31-1. In divisional games, Charlotte has gone 8-4 SU and ATS. Charlotte has not committed many turnovers, averaging a league-best 12.1 per game.
Miami won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Hornets to 7-3 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Additionally, the Heat lead the matchup ATS with a record of 5-4-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mia
Notes
“Miami is 15-8 ATS in its last 23 games “.
“Miami is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Miami is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami’s last 6 games “.
“Miami is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home”.
“Miami is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home”.
“Miami is 14-6-1 ATS in its last 21 games when playing Charlotte”.
“Miami is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games when playing Charlotte”.
“Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Charlotte”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami’s last 5 games when playing at home against Charlotte”.
The Miami Heat hold a winning 8-4 SU record in matchups against Southeast Division rivals, while the Charlotte Hornets currently sit at 6-7 in these games.
Charlotte’s offense and Miami’s defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Charlotte scores an average of 0.0 points per game, while Miami allows 0.0 points per game.
Charlotte and Miami are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Charlotte puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Miami gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
Charlotte has a superb 26-8 record when it gives up under 100 points this season. Miami is 15-20 when it scores under 100.
The Charlotte Hornets have a subpar 12-21 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Miami Heat are 24-8 when they hit the century mark.
The Hornets have an offensive rating of 105.2 (ranked ninth), while the Heat rank sixth for their defensive rating of 101.5.
The Miami Heat have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with a FG% of 46.5%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Charlotte Hornets have a poor 9-16 record.
The Miami Heat rank higher for their field goal percentage (fourth) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (12th). The Charlotte Hornets rank higher for their effective field goal percentage (14th) than they do for their field goal percentage (29th).
Miami makes an average of 20.7 assists per game (ranked 23rd). Charlotte ranks higher in assists with 21.4 (ranked 19th).
The Miami Heat top the league in blocking, with 6.6 made per game. The Charlotte Hornets average 5.3 blocks per game (ranked 11th).
The Miami Heat rank 22nd in offensive rebounding, while the Charlotte Hornets rank fifth in defensive rebounding.
The Miami Heat make an average of 6.7 steals per game. The Charlotte Hornets are 24-18 when they allow 6 or more steals.
