The surging 32-31 Hornets will host the 34-29 Heat tonight at 7 PM EST in an Eastern Conference clash.
The Hornets are 7.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 229.5 points.
Hornets vs. Heat prediction, preview
Miami has been winning lately by forcing opponent mistakes and turning those mistakes into paint pressure. They’re leading the league in pace by a significant margin, ahead of the second place Hawks by a larger margin than the Hawks are ahead of the tenth place Timberwolves. They’re playing at a quick tempo and are on a roll in their last ten games, with a +11.8 NETRTG. We can see this in their game against Brooklyn; the Heat won the possession battle with turnovers and then cashed it in with paint points and transition buckets. Granted, it was the Nets, but the Heat will likely be a playoff problem once again. Tonight they’ll be without Norman Powell, who’s been a scoring machine for Miami this season. As a result, we should see some elevated usage for Andrew Wiggins.
The Hornets have been a pleasant surprise this season, playing like a – dare I say it – championship contender in their last ten games, with 123.6 OFFRTG and 109.5 DEFRTG. They’re brutalizing opponents consistently with star point guard LaMelo Ball pushing the pace with early offense, even if he’s individually shooting the ball poorly. The spacing on this team has been clean and has helped unlock high volume threes. And who else to cash in on these triple opportunities than rookie sharpshooter sensation Kon Knueppel? Knueppel has seriously turned heads this season with his exceptional efficiency, clocking 19.2 PPG while shooting 48.8% from the field and an unreal 43.6% from three on eight attempts a game, forcing defenses to stay glued to him all game. The Hornets are allowing the fewest opponent rebounds in the league while grabbing a fourth-best 46.3 RPG of their own, and by controlling the glass, kickstart their own offense.
Hornets vs. Heat pick, best bet
Best Bet: Hornets -3.5 (-207)
Without Powell, it’s difficult to see the Heat winning the possession battle tonight. It’ll be a tough fight on the glass tonight between these two teams who both have excellent rebounders, but I’m backing the Hornets to cover this -3.5 spread due to their recent form and variety of offensive weapons.
