The Charlotte Hornets moved to within a victory of the second round of the NBA Playoffs with a thrilling two-point victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday. The Hornets will look to close out the series and book a place in the semifinals for the first time in 14 years when they lock horns with the Heat in Game 6 later tonight.
Can the Hornets finally end their barren playoff run? Or will the Heat spoil their party and live to fight another day? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this critical clash and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Portland vs. LA Clippers and Indiana vs. Toronto.
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Heat vs. Hornets – Game Six First Round Preview
Where: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte
When: Friday, April 29, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Miami Heat (+1.5) at Charlotte Hornets (-1.5); total: 191.0 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Miami Heat
Win or go home. That’s the predicament facing the Miami Heat heading into their Game 6 clash with the Charlotte Hornets tonight. The Heat have been pushed to the brink of elimination after three consecutive defeats to the Hornets, a stunning development considering Miami dominated Charlotte in the first two games of this series. The Heat scored 238 points through those first two games, shot 58 percent from the field and looked to be on their way to their first playoff series win of the post-LeBron era.
Wade can’t do it all alone, though, and he needs his fellow starters to step up to the plate in this critical Game 6. Joe Johnson, Goran Dragic, Hasan Whiteside, Goran Dragic and Luol Deng averaged a combined 50.3 points the past three games. That’s way below their combined 66.5 PPG average in the opening two games of this series. Dragic, in particular, needs to wake up from his offensive slumber. He has recorded more personal fouls (12) than assists (10) in the last three games.
The Heat are 1-8 ATS in their last nine road games.
Betting on the Charlotte Hornets
There is just no stopping Buzz City right now.
The Hornets hacked out a highly-emotional 90-88 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday to grab a commanding 3-2 series lead in their Eastern Conference First Round showdown. It has been a fantastic turnaround for the Hornets who trailed 2-0 at one point in this best-of-seven series.
Key to Charlotte’s resurgence has been its excellent play on the defensive end. The Hornets have held the Heat to just 38.6 percent shooting the past three games. That rock-solid defense was in full display in Game 5 where Charlotte held Miami to just 88 points on 34-of-81 shooting from the floor. That’s quite exceptional considering the Heat averaged a whopping 119 points in their first two playoff games at home this year.
For the Hornets to end the series once and for all tonight, they will need Kemba Walker to be aggressive right from the get-go. He had a miserable outing in Game 5, scoring just 14 points on 4-of-18 shooting from the floor. Fortunately for Walker, his fellow starters picked up the scoring slack on Wednesday with Marvin Williams, Al Jefferson, Frank Kaminsky and Courtney Lee combining for 57 points. It was Lee who delivered the biggest shot of the night with his 3-pointer with 25.2 seconds left giving Charlotte its first playoff road win in 14 years.
The Hornets are 6-0 SU and 4-2 ATS in their last six home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Charlotte (-1.5) beats Miami, 95-86, to clinch their first series victory since the Paul Silas era.
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