The Hornets are at home on Sunday when the heat hits town. Fresh from a win on Thursday, Charlotte will look to end Miami’s three-game winning streak.
The Hornets have already played the Heat twice this season, losing back-to-back games to their division rivals in mid-November. A win tonight would leave the door open for the season series to be level when those teams play again in late February.
The Heat are currently in the middle of another strong campaign. They come into tonight with a record of 28-22, good for sixth place in the East. Behind the defensive pressure exerted by the likes of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Miami makes their opponents deserve everything on the pitch.
The Hornets need to dial in physicality to compete in this competition. With a 14-36 record this season, this could be one of the last games with the team’s current iteration on the field. As the trade deadline nears, some of the Hornets’ strongest trade figures should be fully featured over the course of the next few games.
Matchup of the Game: Kyle Lowry vs. LaMelo Ball
LaMelo Ball meets one of the most experienced point guard veterans in the league. Lowry’s prime may be behind him, but the depth of knowledge is still top-notch, and the talent remains enough to cause problems for opponents. How well LaMelo can find his spots will be crucial tonight as you don’t want to attack the defensive support behind Lowry without a plan.
Team Stats 2022-23
PPG: 108.5 (MIA), 112.0 (CHA)
Roleplay: 41.5 (MIA), 45.0 (CHA)
APG: 23.6 (MIA), 25.2 (CHA)
FG%: 45.3% (MIA), 45.2% (CHA)
3FG%: 33.5% (MIA), 32.4% (CHA)
FT%: 82.6% (MIA), 75.1% (CHA)
2022-23 Team Leader:
Minutes: Bam Adebayo – 36.5 (MIA), Terry Rozier – 35.7 (CHA)
FG%: Bam Adebayo – 54.0% (MIA), Mason Plumlee – 67.4% (CHA)
3FG%: Caleb Martin – 37.2% (MIA), LaMelo Ball – 36.1% (CHA)
PPG: Jimmy Butler – 21.8 (MIA), LaMelo Ball – 23.1 (CHA)
Roleplay: Bam Adebayo – 10.1 (MIA), Mason Plumlee – 9.8 (CHA)
APG: Kyle Lowry – 5.4 (MIA), LaMelo Ball – 8.2 (CHA)
SPG: Jimmy Butler – 2.1 (MIA), Kelly Oubre Jr. – 1.6 (CHA)
BPG: Bam Adebayo – 0.8 (MIA), PJ Washington – 1.1 (CHA)
Statistics key: PPG – Points per game | RPG – Rebounds per game | APG – Assists Per Game | SPG – steals per game | BPG blocks per game
heat roster
PG: Kyle Lowry, Gabe Vincent
SG: Tyler Herro, Victor Oladipo
SF: Caleb Martin, Max Strus, Haywood Highsmith
PF: Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic
C: Bam Adebayo, Orlando Robinson, Dwayne Deadmon, Udonis Haslem, Nikola Jovic
Head Coach: Nate McMillan
List of hornets
PG: LaMelo Ball (DTD), Dennis Smith Jr., Theo Maledon
SG: Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr (AUS), Cody Martin (DTD), James Bouknight
SF: Gordon Hayward (AUS), Jalen McDaniels, Bryce McGowens
PF: PJ Washington, Kai Jones, JT Thor
C: Mason Plumlee, Nick Richards, Mark Williams
Head Coach: Steve Clifford
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