Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets Betting Prediction and Odds April 5
Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets betting preview for Tuesday, April 5. At the time of posting, Miami has opened as a 5.5-point home favorite over the road Hornets, with the total sitting at 224 points.
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| Tuesday, April 5 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Miami Heat -5.5 vs Charlotte Hornets |
| Total: | 224 Points |
| Game Time: | 7:40pm ET / 4:40pm PT |
| Arena: | FTX Arena in Miami, FL |
| TV: | Bally Sports Sun |
Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets Analysis
The Charlotte Hornets are taking their talents to South Beach in Miami for an Eastern Conference showdown with the Heat on Tuesday night.
The Heat look to maintain a stronghold on the top seed in the East after edging out the Raptors 114-109 on Sunday in Toronto.
The Hornets hope to improve their position in the play-in round after being run out the building 144-114 by the 76ers in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.
Miami is hunting for a four game regular season series sweep after winning 114-99 at home during the first month of the season and winning two February games in Charlotte by the scores of 104-86 and 111-107 in overtime.
Hornets Push for 8th Seed
The Charlotte are locked in the play-in round of the Eastern Conference and are one game behind the all important #8 seed which carries a tremendous advantage over nine and ten.
The difference is only needing one victory to advance with a second game backup in pocket compared to needing two wins to advance.
A win here would be huge as their remaining schedule gets easier with home games against the tanking Orlando Magic & sputtering Washington Wizards and a road game against the Chicago Bulls.
However, their last memory on the hardwood was getting trounced by the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Miles Bridges led the team with 20 points and 5 rebounds, while Terry Rozier had 6 assists.
Charlotte is lucky to have nobody listed on their injury report while getting an important player like Gordon Hayward back just in time for the post-season.
When you look at the Hornets season statistics compared to their recent form one thing that stands out is their decline in pace of play.
On the season they rank 3rd in pace, while dipping all the way down to 19th over their past 15 games. The lack of pace hasn’t hurt their scoring with an average of 114 points per game on the season compared to an average of 118 a game over their last 15 games.
Heat Close in On Top Seed in East
The Miami Heat picked up a hard fought victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday to improve to 51-28 on the season.
The game was a back and forth contest that Miami took control of by outscoring Toronto 34-23 in the third quarter. They are close to locking up the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a two game lead over the Boston Celtics and only three games left to play on the season.
Max Strus led the Heat with 23 points against Toronto while Kyle Lowry posted a 16 point 10 assist double double against his former team.
Victor Oladipo also scored 21 points off the bench. Miami has relied on defense and remained consistent, ranking third in defensive scoring on the season as well as over their last 15 games.
The Heat have an endless list of questionable players including Kyle Lowry, PJ Tucker, Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin and Dewayne Dedmon.
Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction
The Miami Heat are 5.5 point home favorites and the total is set at 224.5. The uncertainty of the Heat roster has me looking at a total that really stands out.
The Miami Heat like to slow the pace and limit the opposing teams possessions. Obviously on first thought Charlotte will try to run, but we already illustrated their significant drop off in pace recently.
The Heat defense is good enough to contain the Hornets and their style of play has won out in all three head-to-head games.
The totals have been 213, 190 and 218 for an average of only 207 combined points a game. The under on a total of 224.5 seems like an absolute bargain to me.
Prediction: Under 224
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NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Tuesday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Join Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of professional handicappers for the NBA Tip-Off Show every Monday-Friday at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of pro sports bettors as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets clash.
WagerTalk NBA Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NBA point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Tuesday’s NBA games, including this Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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