Thursday, December 29, 2016

Time Warner Cable Arena

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The Miami Heat travel to Time Warner Cable Arena to play the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, December 29, 2016. The opening line for this matchup has Charlotte as 6 point favorites and the total is set at 199. The Heat come into this game with an overall record of 10-22. They are 5th in the Southeast Division. They currently have a point differential of -3.1 as they are averaging 98.4 points per game while giving up 101.6 per contest. The Hornets have an overall record of 17-14. They currently are 1st in the Southeast Division. They are averaging 104.7 points per game and surrendering 102.7, good for a point differential of 2.0.

Goran Dragic comes into this contest averaging 19.3 points per game while playing 34.4 minutes per night so far this season for the Heat. He pulls down 4 rebounds per game and dishes out 6.6 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 46% while his free throw percentage is currently at 79%. Hassan Whiteside averages 17.8 points per game in 33.9 minutes per contest this season. He averages 0.7 assists per contest and 14.7 rebounds per game for Miami. His field goal percentage is 55% for the year while his free throw percentage is 54%.

Kemba Walker averages 22.3 points per game while playing 33.5 minutes per contest this year for the Hornets. He grabs 3.9 rebounds per game and has 5.5 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 45% and his free throw percentage currently is at 81%. Nicolas Batum averages 14.6 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 34.8 minutes per contest. He also averages 7.5 rebounds per contest and 5.7 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 40% and his free throw percentage is 82%.

Miami averages 98.4 points per contest this season which ranks them 28th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is -3.1 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them ranked 24th. Behind the arc they shoot 34% which is good for 25th in the league. They average 54.7 rebounds per game and 20.4 assists per game which ranks them 5th and 25th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 9th with 13.2 per game. The Heat allow 101.6 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 7th in the league. They also allow a 45% shooting percentage and a 35% average from behind the arc ranking them 9th and 10th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 53.5 rebounds a game which ranks 21st and they give up 20 assists per contest which puts them in 3rd place in the league. They force 13 turnovers per game which ranks them 24th in the league.

Charlotte averages 104.7 points per game this year which ranks them 14th in the league. Their average scoring margin is 2 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them sitting in the 25th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 35% which is good for 13th in the NBA. They average 55.4 rebounds per game and 23.6 assists per contest which ranks them 4th and 6th respectively. In the turnover department the Hornets rank 2nd with 11.9 per game. The Hornets allow 102.7 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 11th in the league. They also allow a 44% shooting percentage and a 35% average from behind the arc ranking them 8th and 14th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 52.4 rebounds a game which ranks 17th and they give up 23.9 assists per contest which puts them in 26th place in the league. The Hornets force 12.7 turnovers per game which ranks them 26th in the NBA.

The Heat have an offensive rating of 103.3 and a defensive rating of 106.5. In terms of pace they average 94.4 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 49%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 51% and they shoot 3 pointers on 29% of their shots. Miami turns the ball over an average of 12.1 times per 100 possessions and they force 12 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 49%.

The Hornets rating on offense is 107.3 and they have a defensive rating of 105.2. They get 96.6 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 49%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 54% and they attempt 3 pointers on 32% of their shot attempts. Charlotte turns the ball over on 10.9 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 11.7 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 50%.

Miami Heat Betting Trends

The Miami Heat are 16-16-0 against the spread

The Miami Heat are 14-18-0 against the over/under

Charlotte Hornets Betting Trends

The Charlotte Hornets are 14-16-1 against the spread

The Charlotte Hornets are 17-14-0 against the over/under

Miami Heat Injuries

12/28/16 PG Goran Dragic Back missed last game, "?" Thursday vs. Charlotte
12/27/16 F Josh McRoberts Foot out indefinitely
11/30/16 G Dion Waiters Groin expected to miss 2-4 weeks
10/22/16 F Chris Bosh Blood Clot out for season

Charlotte Hornets Injuries

12/27/16 G Marco Belinelli Ankle is downgraded to expected to miss Wednesday vs. Orlando

Guy's Pick: Take Charlotte -6

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