Charlotte vs Miami NBA Playoffs Game 3 Spread Preview

Posted by Henry Watkins on Friday,April 22, 2016 11:17, EDT in

When you have arguably the best player in the league on your team, it is easy to become a little too used to getting things your own way. This is what happened to the Miami Heat when LeBron James was in town, as division titles and NBA championships became the norm. It has been an adjustment period for the Heat since his departure, and while they won the Southeast Division this year, they did so via the tiebreaker after finishing the season with the exact same record as the Atlanta Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets. That set up a first round match-up against division rivals Charlotte in a series that looked too tough to call coming in. The Heat have jumped out to a great start, though, and you feel that they would be quite happy to head into Charlotte and pick up a split over the next 2 games. You can keep up to date on the odds for this pro hoops betting lines match up one at MyBookie.ag.

How To Bet The Heat vs Hornets NBA Playoffs Odds, TV & Game Info

When: Saturday, April 23 at 5:30 PM EST
Where: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte
TV: TNT
Radio: Heat and Hornets
Live Stream: NBAonTNT
NBA Odds: TBA

Why bet on the Miami Heat

While the Miami Heat may no longer have King James ruling the hardcourt, they still have guys there that know how to win in the payoffs. It was that which perhaps gave them the edge in this series, and it certainly appeared to play out that way through the opening 2 games. What was perhaps surprising about Game 1 and 2 was the manner in which Miami won them. There was an average margin of victory of 22 points in those games, which completely went against what we are used to seeing when these two teams hook up. You now have to wonder if the Heat have Charlotte second guessing themselves, and you can bet that they will try to come out and establish themselves early in Game 3 to really apply the pressure to the Hornets.

Why bet on the Charlotte Hornets

You don’t ever want to count a team out this early in a playoff series, but you have to wonder about the mindset of this team after being blown out in the opening two games. Charlotte had to believe that they would get a split in Miami, since the regular season series over the past 2 seasons has been split right down the middle. A win in Game 3 is almost now considered to be a must, as I really don’t see any way back for this team if they go 3-0 down. Charlotte were a top 10 defensive unit in the regular season, and they need to get back to that style in order to get back in this series.

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Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

In the postseason, you have to be able to shake off tough losses and move onto the next game. I don’t know if Charlotte can shake off the double whammy they took in Miami, and I like the Heat to extend the series lead.

Miami Heat 103 Charlotte Hornets 99