In LaMelo Ball’s return to action, the Charlotte Hornets earned a 13-point victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Now the Hornets will look to keep buzzing with a win over the Heat at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte tonight, although it will be a lot tougher as the Hornets are NBA betting underdogs.
Will Charlotte earn back-to-back wins by taking care of business tonight? Keep reading our Heat vs. Hornets free NBA picks and predictions to find out.
Heat vs Hornets odds
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NBA Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonMiami bounced around from -5.5 to -5 to -6 and back to -5, all by midmorning, then returned to the -5.5 opener at PointsBet USA midafternoon. "Good two-way action, with 57 percent of the bet count on the Hornets, but 65 percent of the handle on the Heat," PointsBet's Mike Korn said at 5 p.m. ET. The total moved from 211.5 to 212.5 and back, although the Over is getting heavy play at 88 percent of bets/91 percent of money. "The book will be rooting for the Under," Korn said.
Check out the full line movement for this gameHeat at Hornets betting preview
Injuries
Heat: Tyler Herro G (Out), Victor Oladipo G (Out).
Hornets: Gordon Hayward F (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Hornets are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games. Find more NBA betting trends for Heat vs. Hornets.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The Hornets got LaMelo Ball back against the Pistons on Saturday and the rookie had 11 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in 28 minutes of action. He did not seem too bothered by the wrist injury that forced him to miss more than a month, and it’d be surprising if he wasn’t able to go against the Heat tonight. If LaMelo is on the floor, Charlotte offers some excellent value in this one.
The Hornets beat the Heat 115-110 when these teams met in Charlotte on March 26, and there’s just not much that really separates these two clubs at the moment.
Sure, Bam Adebayo should be able to feast inside, as Charlotte doesn’t have too many productive options at the center position, but the Hornets do have excellent guard play, and their offense should find enough success against a Heat team that has been inconsistent on the defensive end this season. LaMelo and Terry Rozier are both explosive in their own ways, and the two of them should do a lot of damage tonight.
The Heat have won six of their last eight games, and this team is undoubtedly playing good basketball right now. However, this is a lot of points for a solid Hornets team to be getting at home.
PREDICTION: Hornets +5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
While the Hornets are an up-and-down team when playing at full strength, it’s unlikely we’ll see them return to their early-season pace until they have Gordon Hayward back in the lineup.
With Hayward, Charlotte’s best chance of winning is by being the better offensive team on any given night, but they have had to get away from that recently. Over the last 10 games, only two teams have played at a slower pace than Charlotte—and one of them is actually Miami.
With that said, look for this to be a game that doesn’t feature a whole lot of breaks. LaMelo might have the occasional full-court dime but that doesn’t mean the Over is the right play.
PREDICTION: Under 211.5 (-110)
Player prop pick
As mentioned earlier, Adebayo is going to be the best big on the floor by a pretty wide margin tonight, and he’s also arguably the best athlete in the paint.
He should be able to get his hands on a lot of balls, which means he could get a few extra offensive rebounds. Adebayo has already had back-to-back games with double-digit rebounds coming into this one, so he’s a good bet to do it in three straight.
PREDICTION: Bam Adebayo Over 9.5 Rebounds (-130)
Heat vs Hornets betting card
- Hornets +5 (-110)
- Under 212.0 (-110)
- Bam Adebayo Over 9.5 Rebounds (-130)
Picks made on 5/02/2021 at 10:18 a.m. ET
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