The Charlotte Hornets (18-52) travel to face off against the Miami Heat (29-41) on Sunday, March 23rd. This game will be played at Kaseya Center in Miami and televised on FDSS. Both the Hornets and Heat will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip off is scheduled for 6:00 ET.

Hornets vs Heat

The Hornets Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Charlotte dropped to 18-52 on the season after a 141-106 road loss to the Thunder on Friday. The Hornets, who were +20.5 point underdogs, failed to cover the spread, and the game’s total of 247 points exceeded the O/U line of 220.

Oklahoma City jumped out to a big lead early, going on a 14-0 run to extend the score from 14-6 to 28-6. Charlotte tried to fight back in the 2nd quarter, outscoring the Thunder 35-32, but they couldn’t sustain the momentum. Heading into the 4th quarter down 103-76, the Hornets were outscored 38-30 in the final period.

The Heat Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Heat dropped to 29-41 on the season after a 102-98 home loss to the Rockets on Friday. Miami entered the game as +4.5 point underdogs and covered the spread, but the loss was still a setback. The total points for the game were 200, falling short of the 212.5 over/under line.

Miami led 59-51 at halftime after winning both the 1st and 2nd quarters. However, the Rockets outscored them 27-21 in the 3rd quarter and 24-18 in the 4th, turning the game around after Miami had an 80-78 lead going into the final period.

Hornets Offense Breakdown

Despite hitting 19 threes at a 46.3% clip, the Hornets managed just 106 points in their loss to the Thunder. Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 20 points, while Nick Smith Jr. added 14, and Josh Green chipped in 12.

Bridges scored 8 points in the 3rd quarter and another 7 in the 4th. Smith also added 8 points in the final period, while Green and Moussa Diabaté each contributed 6 points in the 2nd quarter.

Heat Offense Breakdown

Andrew Wiggins poured in 20 of his 30 points in the second quarter, finishing with a 76.9% shooting performance in the Heat’s 98-point effort against the Rockets. Kel’el Ware contributed 16 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 70% from the field, while Bam Adebayo also added 16 points, scoring 7 in the 4th quarter.

Miami shot 52.1% from the field and 41.7% from three, hitting 10 threes in the game. Wiggins and Adebayo both connected on 2 threes, with Ware going 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.

Hornets Team Defense

Defensively, the Hornets struggled against the Thunder, giving up 141 points on 57% shooting. Charlotte allowed 34 points in the 1st quarter and 37 in the 3rd, with Oklahoma City scoring 38 in the 4th.

The Thunder hit 21 threes at a 53% clip. Charlotte sent Oklahoma City to the line 17 times, where they made 12 free throws. The Hornets finished with 23 defensive rebounds, 6 steals, and 4 blocks.

Heat Team Defense

The Hornets struggled defensively against the Thunder, giving up 141 points on 57% shooting. Charlotte allowed 34 points in the 1st quarter and 37 in the 3rd, with their worst defensive effort coming in the 4th, where they gave up 38 points.

From beyond the arc, the Thunder hit 21 threes at a 53% clip. The Hornets sent the Thunder to the line 17 times, where they made 12 free throws. Charlotte finished with 23 defensive rebounds, while allowing 10 offensive boards, and recorded 6 steals and 4 blocks.

Hornets vs Heat Trends

• Although Charlotte has a straight up record of 2-3 in their last five road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 2-3. The team averaged 110 points per game in these games.
• In their last ten games at home, the Heat have a straight up record of 2-8 while going 3-6-1 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 102 points per game in these contests.
• Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Hornets have gone 2-3 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 2-3.
• In their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Heat have a straight up record of 4-6 and an ATS mark of 3-7.

Hornets vs Heat Prediction

For today’s matchup we are recommending to take the Heat to secure the win, with an expected final score of 129-112. When it comes to the spread, we believe they’ll cover at -4.

As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 212, and our model projects the Hornets and Heat to reach a combined total of 241 points. Our bet is on taking the over.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.