Charlotte Hornets vs. Miami Heat Predictions, Picks and Preview – 2016 NBA Playoffs – Eastern Conference First Round Game Seven – May 1, 2016

Six games weren’t enough to decide who between the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat will advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. On Sunday, everything will be settled as the Hornets travel to Miami for a high-pressure Game 7. Will the Hornets avoid a collapse and capture this winner-take-all clash? Or will the Heat complete a series comeback? Read on for our preview of this do-or-die showdown.

You can also click here for the preview of Game 7 of the NBA Playoffs series between the Indiana Pacers and the Toronto Raptors.

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Hornets vs. Heat Game Seven First Round Preview

Where: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami

When: Sunday, May 1, 1:00 PM ET

Line: Charlotte Hornets (+6.5) at Miami Heat (-6.5); total: 191.0 – view all NBA lines

TV Broadcast: ABC

Betting on the Charlotte Hornets

Win or go home. That’s the predicament facing the Charlotte Hornets heading into their Game 7 clash with the Miami Heat tonight. The Hornets have been pushed to the brink of elimination after losing to Miami, 97-90, in Game 6 on Friday. It was a disappointing defeat for the Hornets who missed a golden opportunity to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.

Charlotte struggled mightily on the offensive end in that ballgame, shooting just 32-of-76 from the field. The Hornets have shot a lackluster 40.9 percent overall in the series thus far. Contributing to the Hornets’ offensive woes is their erratic shooting from the perimeter. The Hornets shot just 5-of-17 from beyond the arc in Game 6. They have connected at less than 30 percent from the outside in four games in this series, including going 1 of 16 in Game 2.

With their outside shots not falling, the onus is on Kemba Walker to attack the basket regularly and carry the scoring load for the Hornets. He scored a career playoff-high 37 points in Game 5 on 14-of-30 shooting from the field. Walker leads the Hornets in scoring this postseason, averaging 25.0 points per game.

Walker can’t do it all alone, though, and he needs his fellow starters to step up to the plate as well in Game 7. Courtney Lee, Marvin Williams and Frank Kaminsky combined for just nine points in Game 6. They can ill afford such a faulty offensive performance in Game 7, especially against a highly-experienced Miami side which is 5-3 in such winner-take-all scenarios.

The Hornets are 2-8 SU and 4-5-1 ATS in their last 10 road games against the Heat. They are priced at +2,000 to win the East this year.

Betting on the Miami Heat

The Miami Heat will head to the Sunshine State with momentum on their side after beating the Charlotte Hornets, 97-90, in Game 6 of their best-of-seven series on Friday night. All five starters scored in double-figures for the Heat who knotted their series with the Hornets at three games apiece.

Leading the way for the Heat in this all-important victory was future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade. He turned back the hands of time in that critical Game 6 win, scoring 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter. It was a brilliant all-around performance by Wade who also had six rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals in this game. Also stepping up big time for Miami in Game 6 was Luol Deng. He scored 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. The veteran forward is averaging 19.7 points in this series, 7.4 more than in the regular season.

What proved to be the difference in this Game 6 win, however, was Miami’s excellent outside shooting. The Heat shot 8-of-16 from beyond the arc on Friday. Wade, who hadn’t made a 3-point shot since December, even knocked down two important long bombs in the fourth quarter of Game 6. They will need to replicate that feat in Game 7 for them to pull off the series victory against the Hornets. The Heat have connected at 50 percent or better from 3-point range in their three wins and a combined 33.3 in three defeats.

The Heat are 8-1 ATS in their last nine home games. They are pegged at +1,200 to win the Eastern Conference.

Writer’s Prediction

Miami (-6.5) wins, 94-83.

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