Charlotte takes on Miami, looks to halt 3-game skid
Miami Heat (33-20, second in the Eastern Conference) vs. Charlotte Hornets (28-25, ninth in the Eastern Conference)
Charlotte, North Carolina; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Hornets -3.5; over/under is 224.5
BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte enters the matchup against Miami as losers of three in a row.
The Hornets are 5-5 against the rest of their division. Charlotte is fourth in the NBA with 49.5 points in the paint led by Miles Bridges averaging 10.5.
The Heat are 8-2 against opponents from the Southeast Division. Miami is eighth in the Eastern Conference with 44.5 rebounds per game led by Dewayne Dedmon averaging 6.1.
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Heat won the last matchup 114-99 on Oct. 29. Jimmy Butler scored 32 points to help lead the Heat to the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Terry Rozier is shooting 36.9% from beyond the arc with 3.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Hornets, while averaging 18.4 points and four assists. Bridges is shooting 55.1% and averaging 20.7 points over the past 10 games for Charlotte.
Tyler Herro is averaging 20.1 points and four assists for the Heat. Butler is averaging 19.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, eight assists and 1.7 steals over the last 10 games for Miami.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hornets: 5-5, averaging 110.6 points, 46.7 rebounds, 26.3 assists, 7.5 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.5 points per game.
Heat: 6-4, averaging 109.0 points, 43.2 rebounds, 26.7 assists, 9.3 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points.
INJURIES: Hornets: Jalen McDaniels: out (ankle).
Heat: Max Strus: day to day (quad), Victor Oladipo: out (right knee), Markieff Morris: out (reconditioning), KZ Okpala: out (wrist), Omer Yurtseven: out (health and safety protocols), Caleb Martin: day to day (achilles), Jimmy Butler: day to day (toe), P.J. Tucker: day to day (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
