Through 2 Quarters

Down seven at the end of last quarter, the Charlotte Hornets have now snagged the lead. They have emerged as the frontrunner at halftime and are ahead of the Miami Heat 56-47.

The Hornets have been relying on power forward Miles Bridges, who has 13 points and two assists in addition to five boards, and shooting guard Kelly Oubre Jr., who has 15 points. One thing to keep an eye out for is LaMelo Ball’s foul situation as he currently sits at three.

Miami hasn’t had any offensive standouts so far with all players held to nine points or fewer.

This is the first time the Heat have been down going into the third quarter in the past five games.

Who’s Playing

Miami @ Charlotte

Current Records: Miami 37-21; Charlotte 29-30

What to Know

The Charlotte Hornets haven’t won a matchup against the Miami Heat since March 26 of last year, but they’ll be looking to end the drought Thursday. The Hornets and Miami will face off in a Southeast Division battle at 7 p.m. ET at Spectrum Center. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

Charlotte fought the good fight in their overtime game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result, falling 126-120. Charlotte’s defeat shouldn’t obscure the performances of power forward Miles Bridges, who posted a double-double on 28 points and 13 rebounds in addition to seven assists, and center Mason Plumlee, who almost dropped a triple-double on 17 boards, 14 points, and nine dimes. Bridges had some trouble finding his footing against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, so this was a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Miami came up short against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, falling 107-99. A silver lining for Miami was the play of small forward Jimmy Butler, who posted a double-double on 29 points and ten boards.

The Hornets are expected to win this handily, but they should have beaten the Orlando Magic Jan. 14 easily too and instead slipped up with a 116-109. In other words, don’t count the Heat out just yet.

How To Watch

• When: Thursday at 7 p.m. ET
• Where: Spectrum Center — Charlotte, North Carolina
• TV: Bally Sports SE Charlotte
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Ticket Cost: $10.89

Odds

The Heat are a 4.5-point favorite against the Hornets, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Heat as a 4-point favorite.

Over/Under: -110

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Miami have won 18 out of their last 30 games against Charlotte.

• Feb 05, 2022 – Miami 104 vs. Charlotte 86
• Oct 29, 2021 – Miami 114 vs. Charlotte 99
• May 02, 2021 – Miami 121 vs. Charlotte 111
• Mar 26, 2021 – Charlotte 110 vs. Miami 105
• Feb 01, 2021 – Charlotte 129 vs. Miami 121
• Mar 11, 2020 – Charlotte 109 vs. Miami 98
• Nov 25, 2019 – Miami 117 vs. Charlotte 100
• Mar 17, 2019 – Miami 93 vs. Charlotte 75
• Mar 06, 2019 – Miami 91 vs. Charlotte 84
• Oct 30, 2018 – Charlotte 125 vs. Miami 113
• Oct 20, 2018 – Charlotte 113 vs. Miami 112
• Jan 27, 2018 – Miami 95 vs. Charlotte 91
• Jan 20, 2018 – Miami 106 vs. Charlotte 105
• Dec 15, 2017 – Miami 104 vs. Charlotte 98
• Dec 01, 2017 – Miami 105 vs. Charlotte 100
• Apr 05, 2017 – Miami 112 vs. Charlotte 99
• Mar 08, 2017 – Miami 108 vs. Charlotte 101
• Dec 29, 2016 – Charlotte 91 vs. Miami 82
• Oct 28, 2016 – Charlotte 97 vs. Miami 91
• May 01, 2016 – Miami 106 vs. Charlotte 73
• Apr 29, 2016 – Miami 97 vs. Charlotte 90
• Apr 27, 2016 – Charlotte 90 vs. Miami 88
• Apr 25, 2016 – Charlotte 89 vs. Miami 85
• Apr 23, 2016 – Charlotte 96 vs. Miami 80
• Apr 20, 2016 – Miami 115 vs. Charlotte 103
• Apr 17, 2016 – Miami 123 vs. Charlotte 91
• Mar 17, 2016 – Charlotte 109 vs. Miami 106
• Feb 05, 2016 – Miami 98 vs. Charlotte 95
• Dec 09, 2015 – Charlotte 99 vs. Miami 81
• Oct 28, 2015 – Miami 104 vs. Charlotte 94

Injury Report for Charlotte

• Gordon Hayward: Out (Ankle)
• Cody Martin: Out (Achilles)
• Jalen McDaniels: Out (Ankle)

Injury Report for Miami

• Udonis Haslem: Game-Time Decision (Eye)
• Jimmy Butler: Game-Time Decision (Shoulder)
• Markieff Morris: Out (Neck)
• Dewayne Dedmon: Out (Back)
• Caleb Martin: Out (Achilles)
• Tyler Herro: Out (Knee)
• Victor Oladipo: Out (Knee)