Key Matchup vs. Miami Heat: Nicolas Batum vs. Dion Waiters
By Sam Perley, hornets.com
A potential three-game winning streak is on the line for the Charlotte Hornets as they head south to take on the Miami Heat for the third time this season on Wednesday night. Charlotte’s ninth-year NBA veteran Nicolas Batum has steadily been heating up lately, registering marks of 18.0 points, 3.6 made three-pointers on 39.1 percent shooting, 4.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists over his last five outings. In two wins already this year against Miami, the 28-year-old from Lisieux, France has averaged 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.5 steals for the Hornets.
Batum will be lined up against fellow shooting guard Dion Waiters, who is having a career year in his first season with the Heat. The fourth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Waiters is averaging 19.3 points on 46.4 percent shooting (44.7 percent from three-point range), 3.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 18 games since Jan. 19. The Syracuse University product is also coming off a 29-point performance in a road win over Cleveland on March 6, which is his third-highest scoring output of the season so far.
Locking down a high-volume shooter in Dion Waiters will be imperative for Nicolas Batum and the rest of the Charlotte Hornets if they want to pick up a win and claim a crucial season-series victory over the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on Wednesday night.
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