The Miami HEAT host the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Get your tickets now! The HEAT fell to the Hornets 91-82 in their last meeting on December 29. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM. Television coverage on FOX Sports Sun begins at 7:00 PM. You can also listen to the action live on 790 The Ticket.
1: How did the HEAT defeat the defending champs on the road?
Couper Moorhead: With their bench, as Josh Richardson, Wayne Ellington and Willie Reed all finished plus-11 on a night when single-game plus-minus was fairly representative of how things went. Not that the starters played poorly, they held up reasonably well against LeBron James (plus-14), but this game was decided in the last six minutes of the third quarter when James went to the bench to rest. When James left the game, the Cavs had just made a run and were down, 69-66. By the time James returned, the HEAT had expanded their lead to 89-71.
That run was largely powered by the three triples from Wayne Ellington, but those shots wouldn’t have mattered had Miami not been defending. And even with James out, it’s not like it was entirely against Cleveland’s bench as Kyrie Irving was still in the game while the HEAT generally shut off the paint and kept Cleveland shooting contested threes. Should these teams meet in the postseason it will be interesting to see how Erik Spoelstra manages his rotation given how much value Miami’s bench has been carrying over the past two months, especially when you consider that James Johnson and Tyler Johnson didn’t even play in this one.
Joe Beguiristain: As has been the case since the HEAT’s 13-game winning streak, hot shooting from beyond the arc and stifling defense reigned supreme on Monday night. In all, Miami shot 16-of-35 from distance (45.7 percent), with Wayne Ellington and Dion Waiters leading the way with five treys apiece. As Coup stated above, Ellington was key in a big run late in the third quarter that extended the HEAT’s lead to 18 entering the fourth. Goran Dragić took it from there, and Waiters hit a dagger three to essentially seal the deal.
On the flip side of the ball, Miami fared pretty well against a high-octane Cavaliers offense. While LeBron James and Kyrie Irving each scored 30-plus points, the HEAT made them work for their looks more often than not. As usual, Rodney McGruder, Okaro White and Josh Richardson did a great job in that regard. What’s more, the rest of Cleveland’s roster tallied a combined rating of minus-52 on the night. In other words, the HEAT locked things down.
2: How has Charlotte been playing lately and what may have changed about this matchup this season?
Couper: The first part we can answer fairly easily. Since January 1, the Hornets are 9-of-20. Cody Zeller has play in just 12 of those games. The Hornets are +7.3 per 100 with Zeller on the floor. Zeller is now back in the starting lineup. In other words, Charlotte wasn’t playing well without Zeller, now he’s back and they’re winning again.
As for how the matchup has changed, it’s more about Miami than anything else. In their two previous wins over the HEAT the Hornets had utilized a similar defensive strategy to the one they employed in the playoffs last season – contain the paint even if you have to sag off the perimeter. But this is a different HEAT roster these days with the team regularly putting four shooters on the floor and letting the threes fly. With so much more strain being put on the defense’s perimeter, it might be a little more difficult for the Hornets to contain Hassan Whiteside in the middle of the floor.
Do note, also, that Frank Kaminsky has been injured, Ramon Sessions is also out, and with the team moving away both Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes in exchange for Miles Plumlee, currently injured, the Hornets will have a very different bench.
Joe: Although the Hornets have won three of their last four contests thanks to the return of Cody Zeller and continued strong play of Kemba Walker, injuries have plagued the team since early January. In fact, Charlotte has gone 3-17 this season with Zeller out of the lineup. Needless to say, the 7-footer is vital to the team’s success on both ends of the floor. In addition to leading the team in net rating (plus-7.3), his ability to run the pick-and-roll effectively with Walker is also important. In fact, Zeller is averaging 1.05 points per possession as the roll man, which is in the 60th percent tile. While that number is down from last season, he has been in and out of the lineup for the past few months. Perhaps he can get into more of a rhythm if he stays healthy for the last 19 games of the season.
Other than injuries and a midseason trade for Miles Plumlee, not much has changed for Charlotte in terms of playing style. Under Coach Steve Clifford, they still have a top-ten defense and still attempt nearly 30 threes a night. Like Coup stated above, it’s the HEAT that’s changed the most since the last time these two teams met on December 29. We’ll see how things look this time around with a much-improved Miami squad on a mission to obtain a spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
3: What sort of playoff implications does Wednesday night’s contest have?
Couper: While it’s easy to focus on the teams ahead of Miami in the standings as they make their push for the playoffs, in reality this game is just as important as the last two against Cleveland. The Hornets are still just a game and a half back of Miami in the standings – only one back in the loss column – and a win for them would take the series tiebreaker giving them the higher seed in the event of finishing the season tied with the HEAT. So as close as Miami seems to be to the No. 8 seed, just a game and a half out there, there are still a lot of teams in this race that could make things very interesting.
Joe: With both teams very close to one another in the standings (the HEAT are 1.5 games ahead of the Hornets), this matchup is pretty important. While it won’t necessarily make or break either team’s season, every win is important in a six-team race for the final three spots. If Miami continues its winning ways, it could potentially grab the sixth seed if other things fall into place. That said, it’s important to not count your chickens before they hatch. As long as the HEAT continue to do what they’ve done since January 17, all should be fine.
INJURY UPDATE: James Johnson (lacerated right elbow) is listed as questionable. Tyler Johnson (sore left shoulder), Luke Babbitt (back spasms) and Okaro White (sprained left ankle) are all probable. All four participated in Wednesday morning's shootaround.
Highlights:
Game Notes:
- The HEAT have won three of four and are 30-34.
- The Hornets have also won three of four and stand at 28-35 on the year.
- Miami has held opponents to under 50 percent shooting in 53 games this season.
- Kemba Walker leads Charlotte in points (23.0) and steals (1.2) per game.
Efficiencies (Rank):
- HEAT Offense: 104.3 (23)
- HEAT Defense: 103.9 (6)
- Hornets Offense: 105.4 (14)
- Hornets Defense: 104.8 (8)