The Miami Heat’s homestand has gotten off to a pretty lousy start. They’ve dropped the first two of five straight home games going into Monday night’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Heat should win this game. The Hornets have the second-worst record in the East and are beset by injuries. Winning this game wouldn’t save the homestand, but losing it would surely sink Miami’s best chance to make up ground in the East standings.
Here’s what to know for Monday night’s tilt.
How to watch Heat vs Hornets
Time: 7:30 pm ET
Location: Kaseya Center, Miami
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Stream: NBA League Pass, Fubo
Notable injuries
The Miami Heat are starting to get healthy, but Alec Burks (lower back pain), Duncan Robinson (lower back pain) and Haywood Highsmith (left knee contusion) are listed as questionable.
The Hornets will be without Tre Mann, Brandon Miller, Josh Okogie, Tidjane Salaun, KJ Simpson and Grant Williams.
Key matchups
Keep an eye on Miles Bridges. He’s averaging 25.3 points on 44.7% shooting, 8.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists over his last 10 games. Bam Adebayo should take the Bridges assignment from the jump, but Bridges – who is also averaging 7.6 3-point attempts per game in that span – has the potential to pull Adebayo away from the basket.
LaMelo Ball enters Kaseya Center in a bit of a shooting slump, but he’s a live wire who can erupt on any given night. Davion Mitchell should be on him early.
Betting
The Heat are 9.5-point favorites in Miami.