The Miami Heat bolstered their lineup at the trade deadline, bringing in former All-Star Victor Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. Hopefully, the move will kickstart a Miami squad that's lost five in a row straight up and against the spread.
That includes a 125-122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers last night, so the Heat will need a short memory as they visit the Charlotte Hornets. Can Miami end its skid and cover as 1-point underdogs?
Find out in our NBA free picks and predictions for Heat vs. Hornets on Friday, March 26, with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.
Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets betting preview
Injuries
Heat: Jimmy Butler SF (Questionable), Victor Oladipo SG (Questionable), Nemanja Bjelica F (Questionable), Goran Dragic PG (Out), KZ Okpala SF (Out).
Hornets: Brad Wanamaker PG (Questionable), LaMelo Ball PG (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 6-0 in the Heat's last six road games and 4-0 in the Hornets' last four home games. Find more NBA betting trends for Heat vs. Hornets.
NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonMiami landed on TwinSpires' odds board as 2-point chalk, but this game is down to pick 'em as of 5:30 p.m. ET. Charlotte is nabbing 60 percent of tickets and 72 percent of money on the point spread. The total dipped from 216 to 214, with the Under taking 57 percent of bets/62 percent of cash.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the spread (ATS) pick
The Heat have dropped five games in a row straight up and against the spread, and they will likely be short-handed for this matchup with the Hornets. Goran Dragic will miss this one once again, Jimmy Butler is questionable, Kelly Olynyk is gone, and it’s unlikely that recently-acquired Victor Oladipo will be available.
It has been Miami’s offense that has really held it back during this losing streak (maybe trading for Kyle Lowry would have been a good move?), ranking second-to-last in effective field goal percentage over that stretch and putting up just 104.6 points per game.
The Hornets, on the other hand, return home after a five-game road trip. After a tough start which saw them lose the first three games and Rookie of the Year favorite LaMelo Ball for an extended period of time to a wrist injury, Charlotte rebounded by taking wins over San Antonio and Houston.
The Hornets are a let-it-fly kind of team and have become one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA. Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Malik Monk, P.J. Washington, Devonte' Graham, and Miles Bridges all shoot better than 37 percent from beyond the arc this season.
And that has been a problem for the Heat during this losing streak. Miami has allowed opponents to shoot 37.6 percent from downtown over this five-game stretch, which ranks 21st in the NBA.
With the Heat slumping on offense, allowing opponents to get their shots off, and potentially being shorthanded, we like Buzz City as short home favorites.
PREDICTION: Hornets -1 (-110)
Over/Under pick
While the Hornets are an excellent three-point shooting team, the problem is, if shots aren’t dropping, they obviously have a tougher time scoring. So, it makes sense that Charlotte ranks 19th in scoring at 112 points per game. And while the Heat are giving up some deep balls, this team still ranks eighth in the NBA in defensive rating.
The Hornets are a middle-of-the-pack defensive team, ranking 19th in the NBA in D-rating, but they really pick up the play when they are at home. They improve that ranking to eighth and give up just 109.1 points per game on their home court.
With Miami averaging 104.6 points per game during their five-game slide, and with the Under trending, we like that trend to continue.
PREDICTION: Under 214.5 (-110)
Player Prop Pick
We can’t preview a Hornets game without taking a Made Threes player prop, and Friday’s best value comes with P.J. Washington. The Hornets’ forward is in a bit of a shooting slump right now, shooting 16.7 percent from three over his last three games.
But Washington has been a reliable shooter for the Hornets all year, hitting 39.8 percent of his attempts for deep. The slump has his number at 1.5 for this matchup. Prior to the last three games, he had gone above this number 10 times in his last 12 games. We like Washington to get back on track in this one.
PREDICTION: PJ Washington Over 1.5 Made Threes (-120)
Heat vs Hornets betting card
- Hornets -1 (-110)
- Under 214.5 (-110)
- PJ Washington Over 1.5 Made Threes (-120)
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