Heat vs. Hornets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, March 17

Two teams that are battling for the No. 6 spot – or better – in the Eastern Conference are set to face off on March 17.

The Miami Heat and Bam Adebayo have won seven of their last 10 games and are eyeing a top-six seed with a late-season surge. They’re second in the NBA in net rating in their last 15 games, helping them move to eight games over .500.

Meanwhile, the Hornets have cooled off a little after a wild stretch of games got them into the play-in tournament field and back to .500 this season. Still, Charlotte is fourth in the league in net rating in its last 10 games and 10th in net rating overall.

Miami has won the first three meetings between these teams, including an eight-point win back on March 6.

Can Charlotte finally get some revenge on the Heat as it tries to chase down three division foes ahead of it in the Eastern Conference playoff race?

Here’s a look at the odds, my favorite prop bet and a prediction for Tuesday’s contest.

Heat vs. Hornets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Heat +3.5 (-108)
Hornets -3.5 (-112)

Moneyline

Heat: +150
Hornets: -180

Total

233.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Heat vs. Hornets How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, March 17
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Spectrum Center
How to Watch (TV): FanDuel Sports Network (Local)
Heat record: 38-30
Hornets record: 34-34

Heat vs. Hornets Injury Reports

Heat Injury Report

Bam Adebayo – questionable
Tyler Herro – available
Kasparas Jakucionis – available
Jaime Jaquez Jr. – available
Nikola Jovic – probable
Pelle Larsson – probable
Terry Rozier – out
Kel’el Ware – available
Andrew Wiggins – out
Dru Smith – available

Hornets Injury Report

Tosan Evbuomwan – out
PJ Hall – out
Tidjane Salaun – out
Antonio Reeves – out
Liam McNeeley – out

Heat vs. Hornets Best NBA Prop Bets

Heat Best NBA Prop Bet

Norman Powell UNDER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (+108)

Heat guard Norman Powell returned from a lengthy absence with a groin injury on March 14 and dropped 20 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic.

Powell shot 7-for-15 from the field in that game and just 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. While he made the All-Star Game this season, Powell is actually shooting worse from 3 (38.8 percent) than his career average (39.7 percent).

Both numbers are still great, but I’m fading the star guard in his second game back in action. Powell is averaging less than three made 3-pointers per game, and now he’s taking on a Charlotte team that is 11th in the league in opponent 3s made per game.

Powell has three or more 3-pointers in just 10 of 22 games since Jan. 1, shooting 37.6 percent from deep. I think this is a solid plus-money pick on Tuesday night.

Heat vs. Hornets Prediction and Pick

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m taking the OVER in this divisional battle:

Tuesday marks the fourth and final regular season meeting between the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets, and all three of the previous meetings have featured some impressive offensive performances.

These teams combined for 248 points back on March 6, and they’ve cleared 233.5 points in all three meetings, finishing with 261, 234 and 248 points. So, I’m looking to take the OVER again on Tuesday.

Miami is the No. 1 team in the NBA in pace this season, and even though the Hornets are a bottom-10 team in pace, they’ve played a little more to Miami’s style in these three meetings – as evidenced by the final scores.

Plus, both offenses are rolling at the moment, ranking sixth (Charlotte) and seventh (Miami) in offensive rating over their last 10 games.

The Heat profile as the perfect OVER team since they rank second in points per game and 19th in opponent points per game this season. While Charlotte may try to slow the pace, the team has been a potent offense all season, checking in at No. 6 in the league in offensive rating for the entire season.

I’ll follow the trend and expect another high-scoring affair between these division rivals.

Pick: OVER 233.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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