Charlotte Hornets Seek Second Straight Win Over Miami Heat
Seven games into the 2018-2019 season, the Charlotte Hornets have been playing well. This includes a narrow win against the Miami Heat in Miami. Can they make it two in a row against their division rival?
Looking at their record, you’d think the Charlotte Hornets (3-4) aren’t very good at the moment. The team is arguably better than their record, however, with three of those losses being decided by two points or less.
This includes a one-point loss to the 7-0 Milwaukee Bucks. Had luck swung their way, the Hornets could easily be 6-1 right now. The team certainly has the potential to be a playoff caliber team, it appears, but they need to find a way to win close games.
They did just that ten days ago in Miami against the Heat (3-3). In fact, that was Charlotte’s first regular-season victory over Miami since December 29th, 2016. Before their last game, the Heat had beaten Charlotte six straight times. This the good fresh start that the Hornets needed.
The Charlotte Hornets are coming off a 103-105 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. They currently reside at 8th in the Eastern Conference. Miami is fresh off a 123-113 loss against the Sacramento Kings. They sit just above the Hornets in the East, at the seventh spot.
Charlotte Hornets vs. Miami Heat
7:00 p.m. EST, Tuesday, October 30th, 2018
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast
Injury Report
CHA:
None
MIA:
Dion Waiters – Ankle (Game-Time Decision)
James Johnson – Abdomen (Game-Time Decision
Things to watch for
Miami ranks second in the NBA in rebounds per game. Much of that, of course, is due to Hassan Whiteside who is averaging 16.2 rebounds per contest. As a lot of fans know, Charlotte is not very proficient on the glass; ranking at 18th in the league in rebounds. It’ll be interesting to see how Coach James Borrego handles this.
Keys to the game
Given Miami’s prowess on the boards, the Hornets will need to be efficient on the offensive end. Fortunately for the Hornets, they’re usually a better shooting team than the Heat, with Miami ranking just 24th in the NBA in field goal percentage; Charlotte comes in at 15th.
This is partially why Miami snags so many rebounds. The Hornets will also have to be more efficient at the free-throw line. In their last contest against the Heat, they shot a mere 65% from the line.
light. Related Story. 3 Players to Watch from Miami Heat
Charlotte finally got a win against the Heat after going 22 months without one. If they want to make it two in a row, they’ll have to make their shots, and try and command space under the basket; mitigating the Heat’s rebounding. We’ll see if they can get back to .500 tonight in the Spectrum Center.