Miami @ Charlotte preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 15, 2017 ) Miami 104, Charlotte 98

The Charlotte Hornets will try for their first three-game winning streak since before Thanksgiving when they host the Miami Heat on Saturday. After an impressive 11-point win at Detroit, the Hornets returned home to spank the Washington Wizards 133-109 on Wednesday in the return of head coach Steve Clifford, who missed 21 games due to health reasons.

"The newness or whatever excitement wears off because we need to win these games," Clifford told reporters. "I mean this is important, this stretch of home games. Physically, I feel really good -- but we need to win, so that's the best thing." Charlotte has won seven of its last 11 games after enduring a 3-12 stretch that included a 104-98 loss to Miami at home Dec. 15. That was part of a 14-4 surge for the Heat, who have since stumbled with two losses in three games to begin their five-game road trip. They built a 10-point halftime lead before running out of steam in Friday's 101-95 loss at Brooklyn on Friday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Miami), FS Southeast (Charlotte)

ABOUT THE HEAT (26-19): One of the few bright spots in the loss to the Nets was the play of center Hassan Whiteside, who had 22 points and 13 rebounds one game after finishing with 27 and 13 in a win at Milwaukee. He was 9-for-17 from the floor Friday night while his fellow starters combined to go 13-for-39. Shooting guard Tyler Johnson has missed two straight games with a sprained ankle and Derrick Jones Jr. has stepped into the starting lineup, but the second-year pro is just 1-for-7 from the floor with one assist in 40 minutes over that stretch.

ABOUT THE HORNETS (18-25): Michael Kidd-Gilchrist led seven players in double figures with 21 points against Washington while star guard Kemba Walker finished with 19 points and seven assists before reports surfaced that he was on the trading block. "I'm here right now," Walker told reporters Friday. "I've put my heart and soul into this team, this city, and that's what I'm going to do until everything is over." Walker, who had 25 points in the last meeting with the Heat, is averaging 24.2 points while making 40 percent of his 3-point tries over his last five games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Hornets C Dwight Howard is averaging 15.4 points on 58.3 percent shooting and 13.1 rebounds in January.

2. Miami PG Goran Dragic is 1-for-11 from 3-point range over his last three games.

3. The Heat host the Hornets the following Saturday to complete the four-game season series.

PREDICTION: Hornets 104, Heat 101