Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction: Short-handed Hornets to face a big hit

The NBA Regular Season has barely gotten three weeks' worth of action and we have already seen teams putting on thrillers after thrillers. The early window itself has brought injury galore and as a result, some teams have been off to rather underwhelming statements. This holds true for the Charlotte Hornets which will face the Miami Heat in a classic Eastern Conference battle.

The Heat lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 107:110 in another late-game disappointment. The last three games for the Heat have been decided in the last few seconds and they are yet to make a clinical run. The Heat has had a tough start to the season they have lost a bunch of close games and are yet to sustain any sort of rhythm. Suffice is to say, this has been a tough start to the season. The Heat is in the bottom five in terms of points per game and their approach has been conservative the team has been unable to get second-chance points to make up for the lack of pace and the stifled field goal attempts.

The defense overall hasn’t been terrible but their perimeter grip has not been up-to-the-par as the team has given up third-most three-pointers on average at a high percentage. The team’s offense has been a mystery while both Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro have been firing, they have been unable to do so in the same games. The scoring balance is disrupted at times whereas the team’s last season's defensive component is surely missing. Will the Heat look for trade scenarios revolving around Kyle Lowry?

The Hornets come into this game after an abysmal 95:105 loss against the Portland Trail Blazers and they have now lost six games in a row. They have scored 100 or fewer in five games straight and now they are surely missing LaMelo Ball. Ball has been someone who can push the pace, has a solid court vision, and can also score in myriad ways. Without him, the offense has fallen apart. The team lost Miles Bridges due to his legal troubles and what a void his absence has created!

With the defenses having a lot of liberty, Terry Rozier has been shut down and he is shooting below 40%. Dennis Smith Jr is acting as the starting PG in absence of Ball and he has given some solid production but is nowhere near the player that Ball is. PJ Washington has had some amazing performances but he is inconsistent. Kelly Oubre Jr. has had some strong nights but overall, his offense can’t be relied upon to be efficient. Defensively, the Hornets haven’t been terrible but their confidence can be impacted once their offense misfires.

• Heat: OUT: Omer Yurtseven, Victor Oladipo. QUESTIONABLE: Caleb Martin, Tyler Herro;
• Hornets: OUT: Gordon Hayward. Cody Martin, LaMelo Ball.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Jimmy Butler(23+ Points), Tyler Herro(22+ Points), Terry Rozier(20+ Points);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Dennis Smith Jr(6-9 Assists), Terry Rozier(5-8 Assists), Jimmy Buttler(5-8 Assists), Kyle Lowry(5-8 Assists);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Mason Plumlee(9-12 Rebounds), Bam Adebayo(9-12 Rebounds).

Both the teams have had a grim start to the season and this has been an early warning sign for both the teams that the East is live and alive. The Heat came in with heavier expectations than the Hornets but the team hasn’t followed up on the success built during the last season. The Hornets have been struggling on the offensive end and the Heat defense will only make the going tougher. The Heat has the edge here and I believe they will nab a big win here. The points range can be 205-215.