Thursday, March 17, 2016

American Airlines Arena

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Charlotte Hornets travel to American Airlines Arena to play the Miami Heat on Thursday, March 17, 2016. The opening line for this game has Miami as 4 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 206.

The Hornets come into this game with an overall record of 37-29 and a road record of 12-19. They are 3rd in the Southeast Division. They currently have a point differential of 2.2 as they are averaging 103.2 points per game while giving up 101 per contest. Charlotte is 5-7 against division opponents and they have a conference record of 23-15. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Heat have an overall record of 39-28 and a home record of 22-12. They currently are 1st in the Southeast Division. They are averaging 98.9 points per game and surrendering 97.7, good for a point differential of 1.1. Miami has a division record of 8-4 and a conference record of 24-18. In their last 10 games they are 7-3.

Kemba Walker comes into this contest averaging 21.5 points per game while playing 36 minutes per night so far this season for the Hornets. He pulls down 4.4 rebounds per game and dishes out 5.3 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 44% while his free throw percentage is currently at 84%. Nicolas Batum averages 14.6 points per game in 35.6 minutes per contest this season. He averages 5.6 assists per contest and 6.3 rebounds per game for Charlotte. His field goal percentage is 42% for the year while his free throw percentage is 85%.

Dwyane Wade averages 19.1 points per game while playing 30.7 minutes per contest this year for the Heat. He grabs 4.1 rebounds per game and has 4.8 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 45% and his free throw percentage currently is at 78%. Goran Dragic averages 13.6 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 32.9 minutes per contest. He also averages 3.7 rebounds per contest and 5.8 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 47% and his free throw percentage is 71%.

Charlotte averages 103.2 points per contest this season which ranks them 10th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is 2.2 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them ranked 28th. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 7th in the league. They average 52.3 rebounds per game and 21.3 assists per game which ranks them 12th and 19th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 2nd with 12.9 per game. The Hornets allow 101 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 10th in the league. They also allow a 45% shooting percentage and a 35% average from behind the arc ranking them 11th and 14th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 52.3 rebounds a game which ranks 15th and they give up 23.2 assists per contest which puts them in 25th place in the league. They force 13.5 turnovers per game which ranks them 23rd in the league.

Miami averages 98.9 points per game this year which ranks them 26th in the league. Their average scoring margin is 1.1 and their shooting percentage is 47% as a team which has them sitting in the 4th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 33% which is good for 28th in the NBA. They average 52.2 rebounds per game and 20.7 assists per contest which ranks them 14th and 23rd respectively. In the turnover department the Heat rank 13th with 14.2 per game. The Heat allow 97.7 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 4th in the league. They also allow a 44% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 8th and 10th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 49.4 rebounds a game which ranks 6th and they give up 20.5 assists per contest which puts them in 2nd place in the league. The Heat force 12.9 turnovers per game which ranks them 27th in the NBA.

The Hornets average 100.2 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 113 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of -2.5 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is 6.7 per contest. The Hornets have an offensive rating of 106.6 and a defensive rating of 104.3. In terms of pace they average 95.7 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 50%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 54% and they shoot 3 pointers on 35% of their shots. Charlotte turns the ball over an average of 12 times per 100 possessions and they force 12.5 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 50%.

The Heat score 101.6 ppg at home and they have averaged 115.3 points per contest in their last 3 games. They have an average scoring differential of 6.3 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of 3.9 points per game. The Heat rating on offense is 104.8 and they have a defensive rating of 103.6. They get 93.6 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 50%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 54% and they attempt 3 pointers on 22% of their shot attempts. Miami turns the ball over on 13.5 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 12.1 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 48%.

Charlotte Hornets Betting Trends

The Charlotte Hornets are 35-30-1 against the spread

The Charlotte Hornets are 31-33-2 against the over/under

Miami Heat Betting Trends

The Miami Heat are 35-31-1 against the spread

The Miami Heat are 27-40-0 against the over/under

Charlotte Hornets Injuries

03/01/16 F Spencer Hawes Back out indefinitely

02/16/16 F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Shoulder out for season

Miami Heat Injuries

03/16/16 C Hassan Whiteside Soreness probable Thursday vs. Charlotte

02/17/16 F Chris Bosh Blood Clot out indefinitely

02/01/16 G Tyler Johnson Shoulder out indefinitely

Guy's Pick: Take Charlotte

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn