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The NBA continues on Thursday night with this elite Eastern Conference matchup! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Heat-Hornets prediction and pick.
The Heat continue to lead the East with a (37-21) record. They fell to the Dallas Mavericks last time out after winning their previous five in a row. Miami will take on the Charlotte Hornets on the road where they just won by 18 less than two weeks ago. The Hornets are (29-30) and are really struggling since the start of the new year. The start of the season was hot for them but they have fallen to below .500 since. This would be a huge win if they can get it, and it would put them even for the first half of the season.
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Here are the Heat-Hornets NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Heat-Hornets Odds
Miami Heat: -4.5 (-110)
Charlotte Hornets: +4.5 (-110)
Over: 226.5 (-110)
Under: 226.5 (-110)
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Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
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The Heat have dominated the Southeast division all season long going 10-2 against it. The Hornets on the other hand are 5-6 in the division even though it seems like they have played better. The problem has been the Hornets' last 10 games, going just 2-8 and allowing 116 points per game. That should make the Heat pretty happy about tonight, The Heat have been struggling to score a ton of points despite their 6-4 record in their last 10 games. Miami is scoring just 110 points per game which you would think would be higher considering their record. Either way, they are winning games on the defensive end and that should benefit them tonight.
This will be the third game against each other this season. Miami won the last meeting pretty easily after Jimmy Butler scored 27 points. The Heat will have just a few of their common injured players miss out tonight once again. Tyler Herro will not travel with the team as he continues to deal with his knee injury. He should be back for the second half of the season. Cody Martin and Butler are questionable for tonight. Martin is dealing with a left Achilles injury and Martin's brother Caleb, who plays for the Hornets, is also dealing with a left Achilles injury which is crazy to think about. Caleb Martin will not play against the Heat tonight regardless. Gordon Hayward and Jalen McDaniels will also be out.
Why The Hornets Could Cover The Spread
The Hornets need this win badly. They come in as the underdogs at home which is the right call. This is a spread that the Hornets can easily cover, it's just a matter of how they will show up. the Hornets are one of the more inconsistent teams in the NBA and they have been for a few years now. They have the talent to win games and they have beaten some great teams, they just don't keep that same level of consistency each time they are out on the floor. Charlotte has six players averaging north of 15 points per game this season. They are one of the few teams that have that luxury so they desperately need their offense to step up tonight.
This team just added Montrez Harrell to their lineup which will be a huge addition. If he can bring that fire presence off the bench along with Kelly Oubre Jr. and P.J Washington, then this team can be very deep. They will need to contain Butler and Bam Adebayo to the best of their abilities tonight if they want to cover this spread at home.
Final Heat-Hornets Prediction & Pick
I think the Hornets are going to get back on track, I just think it will be in the second half of the season. The Heat are coming off a bad loss to the Mavericks but the second-unit played awful in the loss. I expect Miami to bounce back and win this game by at least five points on the road tonight.
Final Heat-Hornets Prediction & Pick: Heat -4.5 (-110)
