Heat vs Hornets Props & Best Bets for Tonight’s Play-In Game

Douglas Farmer - Betting Analyst at Covers
Douglas Farmer • Betting Analyst 18+ years betting experience
Updated: Apr 14, 2026 , 07:08 AM ET • 4 min read

Kon Knueppel and the Hornets will buzz through the Heat, as Douglas Farmer's NBA prop picks explain.

Kon Knueppel Charlotte Hornets NBA
Photo By - Reuters Connect. Hornets rookie guard Kon Knueppel led the NBA in 3-pointers this season.

The Charlotte Hornets have not seen the postseason in nine years. Technically, the NBA Play-In Tournament does not end the longest active postseason drought in the league, but Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Heat does indeed come after the regular season.

In a literal way, welcome to the postseason, Charlotte.

These Heat vs. Hornets props and NBA picks expect the best offense in 2026 to put on a show for the home crowd on Tuesday, April 14, with Kon Knueppel leading the charge.

For more on this game, check out Jason Logan's Heat vs. Hornets predictions.

Best Heat vs Hornets props

Player Pick bet365
Hornets Kon Knueppel Over 3.5 3-pointers +140
Hornets Coby White Over 12.5 points -112
Heat Tyler Herro Over 2.5 3-pointers -105

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Prop #1: Kon Knueppel Over 3.5 3-pointers

+140 at bet365

Rookies are not supposed to find their groove this easily. Kon Kneuppel led the NBA in 3-pointers this season, outpacing Charlotte Hornets teammate LaMelo Ball by one and No. 3, Luka Doncic, by 19.

More impressively, Knueppel made 42.5% of his shots from beyond the arc, trailing only Jamal Murray’s 43.5% among players who took at least five 3-pointers per game and played a genuine season.

There is no reason to expect Knueppel to slow down now, and with this prop at plus-money, his success brings us value. Expect Knueppel to play more than his 30.4 minutes per game (averaged since Jan. 1) and take more than his 7.6 threes per game (also since Jan. 1).

Knueppel’s impressive and unexpected rookie season took the Hornets from a fun team to a dangerous one, and they should lean on that in their return to the postseason.

Prop #2: Coby White Over 12.5 points

-112 at bet365

Charlotte acquired Coby White in late February and then took some time building him into the rotation. As a backup point guard, he usually plays about 20 minutes, which makes it all the more impressive that he's averaged 16.2 points per game since March 1.

Taking 11.1 shots in 19.6 minutes per game is not light work, but it is the exact role White was asked to fill. His minutes obviously do not overlap much with Ball, so White is asked to keep the pedal pressed to the floor.

His game differs from Ball’s in a number of ways, the most obvious being Ball’s forte is dazzling passes while White looks for his own shot more. That is fine, for as long as the pace is still frenetic, Charlotte has an edge on its opponent.

White’s pace should be emphasized against the Miami Heat, a less athletic and chaotic roster.

Prop #3: Tyler Herro Over 2.5 3-pointers

-105 at bet365

Would the Heat be in this single-elimination moment if Tyler Herro had been available for more than 33 games this season? It is a fair wonder.

But in his limited action, Herro still shot 37.8% from deep this season. Remove the season finale in which he played just 22 minutes, and Herro hit 38.9% of his 3-pointers when starting while taking 6.9 per game.

He is still the same shooter he was that complemented Jimmy Butler, just a bit older and now complementing Bam Adebayo.

Miami’s best hope of keeping up with Charlotte’s offense is Herro firing away from deep. Do not be surprised if he takes eight or nine shots from beyond the arc.

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Douglas Farmer
Betting Analyst

Douglas Farmer spends his days thinking about college football and his nights thinking about the NBA. His betting habits and coverage follow that same pattern. He covered Notre Dame football for various outlets from 2008 to 2024, most notably spending eight seasons as NBC Sports’ beat writer on the Irish. That was also when his gambling focus took off. Knowing there were veteran beat writers with three decades more experience than he had, Douglas found his niche by best recognizing Notre Dame’s standing in each year’s national landscape, a complex tapestry most easily understood and remembered via betting odds.

In 2021, that interest created a freelance opportunity with Covers, a role that eventually led to Douglas joining the company full-time in 2023. In the fall, Douglas will place five or six dozen bets each week, a disproportionate amount via BetRivers because the operator tends to have lines slightly different than the rest of the market. The same can be said of Circa Sports’ futures markets.

While Douglas is an avid NBA fan and covers the league throughout the year, the vast majority of his bets are on college football, because that is the biggest key to sports betting: Know what you do not know.

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