The Charlotte Hornets had one of the hottest second-half runs this season, but that was largely overlooked no thanks to the Golden State Warriors’ dominance. The Hornets could care less about attention, however, and they’ll look to continue doing their business in the playoffs where they’ll meet the Miami Heat in the first round. The Heat, without Chris Bosh, are aiming to draw first blood in this series.
Read on for more about this matchup. You can also check out our preview of Boston vs. Hawks.
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Charlotte Hornets vs. Miami Heat Game 1 Preview
Where: AmericanAirlines Arena
When: Sunday, April 17, 2016 5:30 PM ET
Line: Charlotte Hornets vs. Miami Heat – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
Betting on the Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets get Miami in the first round, a tasty matchup considering that both teams had two wins over each other back in the regular season. Charlotte, however, won the most recent meeting with Miami, scoring a 109-106 come-from-behind victory on March 17.
Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson fired 21 points apiece in that game but the real star for Charlotte was its outside sniping. The Hornets made 13 threes against Miami in March and they’re likely going to continue to sting the Heat from deep. Charlotte was fourth in the regular season with 10.6 triples per game. The Hornets averaged 10.0 treys in the regular season against Miami.
Walker and Jefferson mustered 19.5 points and 19.0 points, respectively, versus the Heat in the four previous meetings. While production from those two is going to be crucial for Charlotte, the team’s stout bench is just as important. Charlotte’s reserves put up 37.5 points per game this season, higher than Miami’s mean output of 29.5 each contest.
Charlotte is 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS in its last 10 road games.
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Betting on the Miami Heat
South Beach is ready for playoff basketball. And that’s despite the Heat blowing a 26-point lead in a 98-88 loss to Boston on Wednesday to close out Miami’s regular season campaign.
The Heat now look to get off a nice start in the postseason, as they host
Charlotte this Sunday. Miami has been an animal at home of late, going 6-0 S U and ATS in the Heat’s last six games at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Miami’s top weapon this season is its suffocating defense that allows opponents to shoot just 98.4 point per game on 44.2 percent shooting—both top then numbers in the league. Charlotte’s a high-scoring team but the Hornets are mostly just about making perimeter shots as there inside game is nearly inexistent. Al Jefferson is the only inside threat for Charlotte, which finished the regular season with a pathetic average of 37.6 points in the paint per game—second fewest in the NBA. The presence of a shot-swatting machine in Hassan Whiteside for the Heat should only discourage Charlotte from going inside.
As for their offense, Miami is going to need a heavy dose of Dwyane Wade and Whiteside. With Chris Bosh still out, Wade will be the go-to-guy for Miami. He is averaging 19.0 points on the season, while Whiteside is boasting double-double averages of 14.2 points and 11.8 rebounds.
Writer’s Prediction
Charlotte wins, 99-97.
