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The Miami Heat invade The Hive as they take on the Charlotte Hornets in a crucial matchup on Wednesday night at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
Back In Business
Last February 25, the Miami Heat looked like they were bowing out of this year’s playoff contention. That’s because they had won just twice in eleven games. But the Heat didn’t go away. They fought back and now they are back in business – forcing a tie with the Hornets for the final playoff spot in the East.
Josh Richardson leads the Miami offense with 17.4 points per game. Veteran superstar Dwyane Wade, playing in his final NBA season, is still very productive at 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Hassan Whiteside is averaging a double-double with 12.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. Justise Winslow is also contributing 12.6 points and 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
The Heat have the 5th lowest scoring average in the league at 106.0 points per game. Miami is ranked 17th in passing at 24.0 assists per game and they are also 9th in rebounding at 46.2 boards per game. The Heat have the 3rd best scoring defense in the NBA at 106.6 points per game allowed.
Heat
+130
Hornets
-150
Odds from betonline.ag as of 3/06/19
Slipping Away
The playoffs are slipping away from the Charlotte Hornets. Once the sole owners of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Hornets are now forced into a tie with the Miami Heat for that 8th spot with the Orlando Magic breathing heavily behind their backs. Charlotte has won just thrice in their last 11 games and they need to break out of this slump as soon as possible to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Charlotte depends a lot on guard Kemba Walker who averages 25.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Jeremy Lamb is helping out Walker with 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1 steal per contest. Cody Zeller leads Charlotte with 6.8 rebounds per game while also scoring 10.2 points per game. Marvin Williams and Malik Monk are scoring 10.4 and 9.7 points per game, respectively.
Check out our top plays from today's game vs. the Trail Blazers 👀 @budweiserusa #hornets30 pic.twitter.com/nuxjoaKbo9
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) March 3, 2019
The Hornets rank 19th in scoring at 111.2 points per game. Charlotte is also 23rd in the passing department at 23.2 assists per game. On defense, the Hornets average 44.3 rebounds per game, good for 23rd overall. Charlotte also has the 16th best scoring defense in the league at 111.7 points per game.
Who Wins?
Miami is 4-6 SU in its last 10 games played and the Heat are 1-4 SU in their last five road games. The Hornets are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games played and Charlotte is 1-4 SU in its last five games played at home. Head to head, the Heat are 6-2 in their last eight games versus the Hornets. Miami is also 4-2 SU in its last six road games against Charlotte.
This should be a good games because these two teams are currently tied for the 8th spot in the Eastern conference. With games running out, everyone is a must win, especially the games against each other.
Charlotte used to have the upperhand but they have lost 8 out of their last 11 games to give Miami and the Orlando Magic a chance to catch up. The Heat looked like they were headed to the exit when they lost nine out of 11 games last month. But Miami has since won three of four and are back on track.
Miami suffered another setback when Goran Dragic, who just returned recently, suffered a calf injury that forced him to miss their last two games. Dragic who averaged 15.4 points in his four games back will miss this game as well. The one thing going for the Heat is that they don’t just rely on one or two players. That’s something Charlotte can’t boast about because the Hornets rely heavily on Kemba Walker. That said, I think Miami’s playoff urge, their defense and balanced scoring are going to carry them over the Hornets.
I’m picking the Miami Heat to beat the Charlotte Hornets on 3/6/19.
Other Bets To Make
The Heat are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played. Miami is 4-1 ATS in their last five road games. The Hornets are 3-6-1 ATS in their last 10 games played and Charlotte is 1-3-1 ATS in its last five home games played. Head to head, the Heat are 4-2 ATS in their last six road games against the Hornets.
Heat
+3 (-110)
Hornets
-3 (-110)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 3/06/19
Miami is 4-1 ATS in its last five road games and are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 meetings with the Hornets. Charlotte is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games against opponents with losing records, 0-3-1 ATS in their last four home games and 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games overall. I can make an argument for both teams here but I like the fact that the Heat have won two in a row heading to this contest and the fact that the road team is 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings. I’ll take the plus points and the underdog here.
Prediction: Heat +3
The total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 games played by the Heat. The over is 3-2 in Miami’s last five road games. The over is 7-3 in the last 10 games played by the Hornets. Charlotte has seen the total go over in four out of their last five home games. Head to head, the over is 3-1 in the last four meetings between these two teams.
Heat
O 219 -110
Hornets
U 219 -110
Odds from betonline.ag as of 3/06/19
Miami is one of the best defensive teams in the league and they have held 24 out of its last 26 opponents to below their season scoring average. The under is also 21-7 in the last 28 meetings between these teams. Charlotte is a good team at home but Miami’s defense should take control here.
Prediction: Under 219
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