Subscribe
Follow Us
The NBA is back in full swing and we'll be bringing you our betting predictions and picks for each night's slate of action. This next matchup takes us to the Eastern Conference as divisional Southeast foes will meet when the Miami Heat take on the Charlotte Hornets. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Heat-Hornets prediction and pick.
The Miami Heat are searching for their first win following a season-opening loss to the Orlando Magic. Losing that game 116-97, the Heat will focus on getting key bench players healthy and getting some depth back to their lineup. They'll look to get in the win column here against a solid Charlotte team.
The Charlotte Hornets won their season opener and will face the Atlanta Hawks before heading to Miami for this game. LaMelo Ball is already on-track to be one of the best young point guards in the conference this season and we'll see if they can remain unbeaten as they head into this upcoming tilt.
Here are the Heat-Hornets NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Heat-Hornets Odds
Miami Heat: -5.5 (-108)
Moneyline: -210
Charlotte Hornets: +5.5 (-112)
Moneyline: +176
Over: 223.5 (-108)
Under: 223.5 (-112)
How To Watch Heat vs Hornets
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/ 4:00 p.m. PT
TV: Bally Sports Sun, Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Heat Could Cover the Spread/Win
After seeing just a four-point deficit at halftime against the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat couldn't do much in the second half to stop Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Typically sporting a solid defense, their work on that end of the floor will be in constant question throughout the season due to their smaller lineup. Still, this team has been known to pick up the pace in the middle of the season, so expect small, yet incremental growth from this team moving forward.
With minor injuries to their bench, the Miami Heat will wait patiently for both Josh Richardson and Kevin Love to return to action. Duncan Robinson steps in during the absence and they should look towards spotting him up for three-point attempts as he posted one of the best numbers in the league from deep last year. Jimmy Butler will also look to get into the swing of things after posting just three points and five assists during the loss.
Why the Hornets Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Charlotte Hornets had an impressive start to their season, even if it meant mounting a comeback effort in the second half of their first game. LaMelo Ball nearly notched a triple-double and it's clear he'll be taking another leap forward in his evolution as a point guard. Miles Bridges was also very solid on the defensive end as the Hornets managed to out-pace the Rockets in rebounds by a significant margin. This team is capable of heating up at a moment's notice, so expect the Miami defense to have their hands full during this one.
The Hornets will be playing a back-to-back as they head to Atlanta prior to this contest. It'll be interesting to see how they keep up with the Hawks considering their opponents were one of the best scoring units in the NBA. The Hornets still have a ton of size on their roster and they'll be even scarier on the defensive end once Brandon Millers and Mark Williams return from injury. In the meantime, look for LaMelo Ball to be the main catalyst in pushing this Hornets team towards a winning record this season.
Final Heat-Hornets Prediction & Pick
We'll have a fun matchup as both of these teams face off, but they're both far from healthy in terms of their lineups and we'll still be waiting to see what both team is fully capable of. The Miami Heat sport the more experienced roster, but they lack the depth and young talent that the Hornets possess on their bench.
Lack of rebounding almost cost the Hornets their season opener, so it'll be crucial to their success to improve their numbers and fight harder when boxing out opponents. We saw the trouble the Heat had on defense against the scorers of Orlando, so expect another big game out of LaMelo Ball as he works with a big size advantage over the guards of Miami.
Until Miami can show an ability to keep up with teams on offense, they'll be tough to back financially until Jimmy Butler can get back to himself. Knowing him, he's likely to bounce back sooner rather than later as this Heat team isn't used to lengthy losing streaks. Still, we have to favor the Hornets slightly in this game as they'll be further into their road groove and looking better than we expected them to be.
Final Heat-Hornets Prediction & Pick: Charlotte Hornets +5.5 (-112)
