Hornets vs. Heat Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, Oct. 28

The Heat are favored at home on Tuesday night.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is a solid prop target on Tuesday. / Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat have impressed so far in the 2025-26 season, knocking off the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks to take a 2-1 record into Tuesday’s meeting with the Charlotte Hornets.

Charlotte is also 2-1 this season, but its wins are a little less impressive (over Brooklyn and Washington). LaMelo Ball and company are underdogs on the road in this matchup, and they’ll be without Brandon Miller (shoulder) who also missed the team’s win over Washington. 

Miami doesn’t have Tyler Herro (foot) in the lineup on Tuesday, but it still ranks in the top half of the league in offensive rating, effective field goal percentage and is No. 1 in pace.

Can the Heat offense stay hot in this matchup?

Here’s a look at the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Tuesday’s contest. 

Hornets vs. Heat Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Hornets +6.5 (-115)
• Heat -6.5 (-105)

Moneyline

• Hornets: +195
• Heat: -238

Total

• 241.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Hornets vs. Heat How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, Oct. 28
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Kaseya Center
• How to Watch (TV): FanDuel Sports Network (Local)
• Hornets record: 2-1
• Heat record: 2-1

Hornets vs. Heat Injury Reports

Hornets Injury Report

• Brandon Miller – out
• Josh Green – out
• Tre Mann – questionable
• Drew Peterson – out
• Antonio Reeves – out
• KJ Simpson – out
• Grant Williams – out

Heat Injury Report

• Tyler Herro – out
• Simone Fontecchio – questionable
• Terry Rozier – out
• Kasparas Jakucionis – out

Hornets vs. Heat Best NBA Prop Bets

Hornets Best NBA Prop Bet

• LaMelo Ball OVER 14.5 Assists and Rebounds (+103)

Earlier today, I shared in SI Betting’s best NBA props column why Ball is a great target against Miami: 

Ball has gotten off to a strong start in the 2025-26 season, and now he takes on a Miami team that is No. 1 in the league in pace, No. 15 in opponent assists per game and No. 20 in opponent rebounds per game.

This game has a total all the way up in the 240s, which signals a high-scoring, up-and-down affair. That bodes well for Ball stuffing the stat sheet, especially since he’s picked up 10, 18 and 26 assists and rebounds over his first three games this season.

Ball is averaging 14.0 potential assists and 11.0 rebounds chances per game this season, and a fast-paced matchup should give him more opportunities to rack up both in Miami on Tuesday night.

The Heat are 2-1 this season, but they’ve played some high-scoring games against Orlando and Memphis early on. If that’s the case tonight, Ball is a value bet at plus money to clear this prop for the third time this season. 

Hornets vs. Heat Prediction and Pick

I entered the 2025-26 season high on Miami’s chances to make the playoffs in a wide open Eastern Conference, and I still feel the same way through the first week of the season.

The Heat are 2-1 with wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks, and they’re a perfect 3-0 against the spread.

Now, they take on a Charlotte team that blew a game earlier this season against the Philadelphia 76ers and is down Brandon Miller, Josh Green and potentially Tre Mann on Tuesday.

The Hornets have had an easy start to the season, playing Brooklyn, Philly and Washington, so this may be the toughest test the team has faced so far in the 2025-26 campaign. 

Miami has transformed its offense so far this season, playing at the fastest pace in the league while relying a lot less on pick-and-roll action on offense. 

Miami's offense has been super interesting over its first few games. They've run an average of 22 on-ball picks per 100 possessions over the first three games. For context, the 76ers set 37.9 per 100 possessions in 2018-19, the fewest of any season in the tracking era. pic.twitter.com/XqFHk5ighZ

— ALL NBA Podcast (@ALLCITY_NBA) October 27, 2025

That has made the Heat tough to defend early on this season, and the Hornets are going to have their hands full defending Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo and rejuvenated Jaime Jaquez Jr.

I think Miami ends up winning this game by a wide margin, as I’m far from sold on Charlotte against playoff-caliber teams – especially with Miller banged up.   

Pick: Heat -6.5 (-105 at DraftKings)

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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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