Miami Heat look to keep buzzing vs Hornets Friday

Preview: Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets, 7 pm Wednesday.

Heat (28-22) @ Hornets (24-25)
Where: Charlotte, NC
When: Friday, February 5, 7 PM EST
Watch: FSSUN

The Miami Heat have seen somewhat of a resurgence, winning five of their last six games in large part thanks to a new offense that gets Luol Deng and Justise Winslow involved more. Deng is cutting off the ball more, and Winslow is handling the ball often and the two wings have seen more scoring in the last several games.

Deng has scored double digit points in the last five games, an average of 15 points per game. Winslow is shooting 63.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range in the last six games, averaging 8.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his best stretch of his rookie year.

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The two have been hugely important getting Miami’s offense back on track. The Heat are averaging 99.7 points per game in the last six games, up from their season average of 95.9. While 3-point shooting is still a struggle, getting more shots at the rim thanks to the cutting wings and quality looks thanks to more ball movement have yielded a net positive.

We’ll get a chance to see this offense continue to roll and evolve against the Charlotte Hornets Friday night, who have won two-straight including a 106-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s return has seemingly reinvigorated the Hornets as they look to claw their way back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

The season series is tied at 1-1.

Matchup to Watch: Dwyane Wade vs Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Nic Batum

With Kidd-Gilchrist back in the lineup for Charlotte, the Hornets now have two ace wing defenders to throw at Dwyane Wade. Wade, who is 12-of-37 (32.4 percent) shooting in the last two games, will have his work cut out for him against two bigger defenders. Wade’s go-to move this season has been posting up opposing guards, a matchup he usually has the size advantage in.

He won’t have that Friday night unless the Heat can work out some switches in which Wade can post up point guards Kemba Walker or Jeremy Lin. Look for Erik Spoelstra to work on that by possibly incorporating some pick-and-roll or dribble handoff actions with Goran Dragic to get the switch.

X-Factor: Gerald Green

In two games against the Hornets this season, Gerald Green is averaging 15 points and is shooting 35 percent from 3-point range. He’s had nice outings against Charlotte. Maybe that will help Green, who is three-for-21 from 3-point range in the past eight games, get out of his shooting funk.

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Key Stats:

Miami Heat offensive efficiency: 24th, 101.6 points per 100 possessions
Miami Heat defensive efficiency: 6th, 100.2 points allowed per 100 possessions

Charlotte Hornets offensive efficiency: 14th, 102.7 points per 10 possessions
Charlotte Hornets defensive efficiency: 13th, 102.0 points allowed per 100 possessions