The Miami Heat hold the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs by virtue of their Southeast Division crown. The Charlotte Hornets hold the #6 seed and head to Miami on Sunday for their series opener, set for 5:30pm Eastern time on TNT. The teams split the season series with two wins apiece, and the Hornets are a team that offer all sorts of matchup problems for the supposed favorite Heat. Be sure to lookout for more odds and lines for NBA by clicking here.
A Look at the Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets NBA Playoffs Betting Pick
The Heat have a veteran lineup that has playoff experience that should pay off in crunch time. They brought in Joe Johnson at the trade deadline and slid Luol Deng into the power forward position that Chris Bosh vacated with his injury, giving the team a small ball lineup that has been mostly successful. Dwyane Wade has avoided the injury problems that have plagued him in recent years, appearing in more than 70 games for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign. Hassan Whiteside has become a beast on the inside, and Goran Dragic has shown himself to be a terrific point guard, and the result is a team that should be able to make a deep run in the postseason.
Why Should You Put Your Money on the Hornets to win?
Kemba Walker has proven to be a real find for the Hornets. In the last 15 games, Walker has averaged almost 22 points per game, draining an average of three three-pointers per contest. This will challenge the Heat defense, but he will also need Jeremy Lin and Nicolas Batum to produce if the team plans to knock off the Heat. The Hornets will also need to limit Whiteside’s offensive output and keep him from painting his name in the free-throw lane. The Hornets have the 2013-14 sweep at the hands of the Heat in the first round to motivate them as they come back in this year.
Expert Betting Pick and Final Series Prediction
I like the Hornets to give the Heat all they want and more in this series. However, I think that Miami’s ability to dominate inside and out will give them a slight edge. I’m picking Miami in seven.
