Wednesday, March 8, 2017

American Airlines Arena

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The Charlotte Hornets travel to American Airlines Arena to play the Miami Heat on Wednesday, March 8, 2017. The opening line for this matchup has Miami as 4 point favorites.

The Hornets come into this game with an overall record of 28-35. They are 4th in the Southeast Division. They currently have a point differential of 0.5 as they are averaging 104.8 points per game while giving up 104.3 per contest. The Heat have an overall record of 30-34. They currently are 3rd in the Southeast Division. They are averaging 102.3 points per game and surrendering 101.9, good for a point differential of 0.4.

Nicolas Batum comes into this contest averaging 14.9 points per game while playing 34.6 minutes per night so far this season for the Hornets. He pulls down 7.2 rebounds per game and dishes out 6 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 40% while his free throw percentage is currently at 84%. Kemba Walker averages 23 points per game in 34.6 minutes per contest this season. He averages 5.5 assists per contest and 4.1 rebounds per game for Charlotte. His field goal percentage is 45% for the year while his free throw percentage is 85%.

Hassan Whiteside averages 16.6 points per game while playing 32.8 minutes per contest this year for the Heat. He grabs 14.1 rebounds per game and has 0.7 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 55% and his free throw percentage currently is at 60%. Goran Dragic averages 20.2 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 33.7 minutes per contest. He also averages 3.8 rebounds per contest and 6 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 48% and his free throw percentage is 79%.

Charlotte averages 104.8 points per contest this season which ranks them 17th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is 0.46 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them ranked 29th. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 17th in the league. They average 44.9 rebounds per game and 23.1 assists per game which ranks them 5th and 11th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 28th with 12.1 per game. The Hornets allow 104.3 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 9th in the league. They also allow a 45% shooting percentage and a 36% average from behind the arc ranking them 8th and 16th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 44.8 rebounds a game which ranks 24th and they give up 23.9 assists per contest which puts them in 25th place in the league. They force 12.9 turnovers per game which ranks them 3rd in the league.

Miami averages 102.3 points per game this year which ranks them 24th in the league. Their average scoring margin is 0.38 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them sitting in the 18th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 13th in the NBA. They average 44 rebounds per game and 21.4 assists per contest which ranks them 12th and 21st respectively. In the turnover department the Heat rank 20th with 13.4 per game. The Heat allow 101.9 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 5th in the league. They also allow a 45% shooting percentage and a 35% average from behind the arc ranking them 7th and 7th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 44 rebounds a game which ranks 19th and they give up 20.2 assists per contest which puts them in 3rd place in the league. The Heat force 13.4 turnovers per game which ranks them 11th in the NBA.

The Hornets have an offensive rating of 107.7 and a defensive rating of 107.3. In terms of pace they average 96.5 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 33% of their shots. Charlotte turns the ball over an average of 11.2 times per 100 possessions and they force 11.9 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 51%.

The Heat rating on offense is 106.8 and they have a defensive rating of 106.5. They get 95.2 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 51%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 54% and they attempt 3 pointers on 31% of their shot attempts. Miami turns the ball over on 12.4 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 12.4 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 50%.

Charlotte Hornets Betting Trends

The Charlotte Hornets are 27-33-3 against the spread

The Charlotte Hornets are 30-33-0 against the over/under

Miami Heat Betting Trends

The Miami Heat are 38-26-0 against the spread

The Miami Heat are 29-35-0 against the over/under

Charlotte Hornets Injuries

03/03/17 C Miles Plumlee Calf out indefinitely
03/03/17 C Frank Kaminsky Shoulder out indefinitely
02/06/17 PG Ramon Sessions Knee out indefinitely

Miami Heat Injuries

12/27/16 F Josh McRoberts Foot out indefinitely
10/22/16 F Chris Bosh Blood Clot out for season
03/06/17 F James Johnson Elbow missed last game, "?" Wednesday vs. Charlotte
03/06/17 F Luke Babbitt Back left last game, "?" Wednesday vs. Charlotte
03/06/17 G Tyler Johnson Shoulder missed last game, "?" Wednesday vs. Charlotte
01/04/17 F Justise Winslow Shoulder out for season

Guy's Pick: Take Miami -4

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