The Miami Heat would want nothing more than to reclaim the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings heading into the All-Star break. They have a great opportunity to bounce back from their most recent loss when they pay a visit to the Charlotte Hornets this Thursday, with the Hornets falling back below .500 in what’s been a bad slump of late.

Nitrobetting is ready to dish out some timely assists to our bettors all throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. This time, let’s take a look at the crucial matchup between the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets. Find out more about the teams and the key players, event information, the latest NBA odds, and of course, helpful betting trends and expert betting predictions.

Heat vs. Hornets Game Information

Repetition. pic.twitter.com/wxCKCpVMdB

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 15, 2022

• When: Thursday, February 17, 2022, 7:00 PM ET
• Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
• TV: NBA TV
• Radio: 790 AM The Ticket (Heat) / 610 AM WFNZ (Hornets)
• Live Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Betting Odds: TBA

READ MORE: 76ers vs. Bucks NBA Odds and Preview – February 17th, 2022

Why Bet on the Miami Heat?

The 107-99 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday snapped the Miami Heat’s five-game win streak. Coupled with the Chicago Bulls’ win on Wednesday, and Miami is now half-a-game behind the Bulls again for the No. 1 spot in the East’s standings.

Despite that defeat that halted their momentum, the Heat are still one of the more consistently competitive teams in the NBA right now. Their plus-4.5 average point differential is second only to the Celtics in the East and fifth overall in the entire league. The tandem of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, who combined for 50 points and 22 rebounds in the loss to the Mavs, is a one-two punch that few teams have been able to contain.

Miami also got one over the Hornets just recently, with their 104-86 rout in Charlotte on February 6 being the second victory of their aforementioned five-game win streak. Butler and Adebayo were beasts during that contest as well, with the former scoring a team-high 27 points on a blistering 10-of-13 shooting mark from the field.

Why Bet on the Charlotte Hornets?

Outside of a 22-point shellacking of the Detroit Pistons, there’s not a lot going in favor of the Charlotte Hornets, who’ve now dropped nine of their last 10 games. They remain in the playoff bubble as the No. 9 team in the East, but this pace simply cannot keep up if they continue to slide back down to their disappointing ways of seasons past.

Charlotte is also right behind the Heat over in the Southwest Division, but that’s all for naught in the bigger picture, especially with the team trailing by 8.5 games to date. What’s worse is that the Hornets have lost six consecutive home games and have scored over 101 points in just two of those six contests at Spectrum Center.

There’s still time for the Hornets to right the ship, especially considering that they’re still averaging 113.9 points per game this season (second in the NBA). Young point guard LaMelo Ball, who’s averaging 20.2 points, 7.4 assists, and seven boards this season, already has a couple of 30-point outings in February and is averaging 27.6 points per game over his last four starts despite his team’s lackluster results.

Heat vs. Hornets Betting Trends

• The Heat are undefeated in their last four road games (SU/ATS).
• The Heat have won three straight and six of their last nine meetings against Charlotte since 2019 (6-3 ATS as well).
• The totals have gone under in four of Miami’s last six games in general.
• As mentioned earlier, the Hornets are 0-6 in their last six home games (SU/ATS).
• The Hornets are also 0-6 in their last four games as underdogs (1-4-1 ATS).
• The totals went under in all but one of the Hornets’ outings during their last six home losses.

Heat vs. Hornets Expert Betting Prediction

If the most recent clash between Miami and Charlotte is any indication, then Thursday’s contest should be a runaway victory for the Heat. However, the Hornets do possess a potent offense that could give Miami’s stout defense more fits in this month’s rematch, leaving open the door for the home team to possibly cover the spread and put their ATS woes behind them and salvage a bit of momentum heading into the All-Star Weekend.

This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at NitroBetting news. Stay tuned for more NBA game previews and articles and don’t forget to check out the latest Basketball betting odds on the sportsbook.

*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.