Will Miami be the Play-In Tournament’s bogey team again?
Crunchtime in the NBA! After the regular season, two spots in the postseason remain up for grabs in both the East and West. In the Eastern Conference, the Charlotte Hornets face off against the Miami Heat, and Wettbasis has a tip for you.
The home team finished the regular season in ninth place, with the visitors from the “Sunshine State” right behind them. After 82 games, just one win separated the two teams in the final standings, making it clear that this matchup pits two teams of equal strength against each other.
However, the visitors have more experience with the “do-or-die” nature of the play-in tournament. They have participated in this tournament for the past three seasons, each time with a successful outcome!
Last season, just like this year, they also started the competition in tenth place and still became the first team ever in that position to reach the postseason. Against this backdrop, the mental toughness of Coach Erik Spoelstra’s squad can be considered particularly strong. For this reason, for the game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat, we’re predicting an away win or a loss for the visitors by no more than five points.
Furthermore, we believe Miami will score more than 111.5 points. The three-time champions’ offense was impressive at the end of the regular season. Miami surpassed the selected point total in nine of their last ten games.
On top of that, in our view, the odds on a double-double by Bam Adebayo could be worth a bet in the matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat. The center is currently playing very consistently and has already recorded double-digit totals in points and rebounds in eight of the last ten games!
Charlotte Hornets – Miami Heat Head-to-Head Record
The hosts at the Spectrum Center recorded a decisive 136-106 home victory in their last matchup against Miami in March of this year. Thanks to that win, the Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak against this opponent. Furthermore, the visitors have won three of their last four road games in Charlotte.
Nevertheless, the Charlotte Hornets vs. Miami Heat betting odds now place the home team as the favorites.
Charlotte Hornets – Miami Heat Prediction
The Hornets dropped their previous name, the Bobcats, in 2014 and have made the playoffs only once since then! That success came in 2016, but their run ended in the first round when Charlotte lost 3-4 in a hard-fought series against none other than their upcoming opponent.
After this long drought in the “Queen City,” the hunger for the postseason is naturally intense, which is why we expect a particularly motivated home team at the Spectrum Center.
However, the home team faces Miami—arguably the most difficult opponent in a play-in tournament.
The visitors have successfully navigated this extra round in each of the past three seasons, defeating a string of teams that were pre-tournament favorites. We believe Miami is capable of pulling off another upset of this kind.
In addition to their greater experience with the nerve-wracking nature of these playoff games, Miami’s recently strong offense also supports this assumption. For the opener of the play-in tournament, we therefore predict an away win for the Miami Heat or a narrow loss for Spoelstra’s squad by a maximum of five points.
