Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction, 4/14/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets

Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Location: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC

TV: Prime Video

Odds/Point Spread: Miami (+5.0)

Spectrum Center is where the Charlotte Hornets (44-38) will play the Miami Heat (43-39) on Tuesday in an Eastern Conference Play-In game. Charlotte opens this contest as 5.0-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total is 227.

The Heat faced the Hawks and earned the victory with a final of 143-117 in their last game. Miami walked away from the contest with a 56.3% FG percentage (58 out of 103) and buried 15 out of their 37 3-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Heat converted 12 of their 17 shots for a rate of 70.6%. Pertaining to hauling in boards, they earned 45 with 13 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 34 dimes for this contest in addition to forcing 17 turnovers and getting 11 steals. Concerning defense, Miami let their opponent shoot 47.3% from the field on 44 out of 93 shooting. Atlanta distributed 31 assists and had 3 steals for the contest. Additionally, Atlanta snagged 46 rebounds (13 offensive, 33 defensive) and got 3 rejections. Atlanta finished 66.7% from the charity stripe by knocking down 12 of 18 tries. They made 17 out of their 44 tries from three-point range. Concerning fouls, the Heat walked away with 14 and the Hawks accumulated 17 fouls.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. is a guy who was a major factor in this game. He notched 26 points on 12 out of 17 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 26 mins and totaled 1 board. Jacquez finished the game at 70.6% from the floor and also distributed 5 dimes.

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Miami enters this matchup with a record of 43-39 for the season. They are losing possession via turnover 13.7 times per game and as a team are committing 18.9 fouls every game. As a team, Miami is collecting 46.3 rebounds per game and has accumulated 2,374 assists on the season, which ranks 5th in the league in terms of passing the ball. The Heat are shooting 36.1% on shots from distance (1,123 of 3,107) and 79.2% from the charity stripe. They average 120.9 points per game (2nd in basketball) while going 46.8% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Heat are forcing 15.0 turnovers every game and they draw 20.3 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 21st in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 2,254 relinquished this season. The Heat defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 46.5% (3,550 of 7,629) and they surrender 46.4 boards per game as a team. They are giving up 35.9% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 22nd in the league in opponents points per game (118.5).

In their last game, the Hornets walked away with a victory by a final of 110-96 when they faced the Knicks. With respect to attacking the glass, Charlotte allowed New York to get 39 overall (12 on the offensive side). They finished 32.5% from behind the 3-point line via 13 out of 40 and walked away from this one shooting 5 of 8 from the free throw line (62.5%). The Hornets allowed the Knicks to make 39 of their 90 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 43.3% for this game. Overall, the Hornets went 39 out of 85 from the field which gave them a rate of 45.9%. Regarding shots from beyond the arc, Charlotte made 19 out of their 52 tries (36.5%). They were able to knock down 13 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 76.5%. The Knicks were called for 25 personal fouls in this contest which got the Hornets to the free throw line for 17 shots. They also turned the ball over 18 times, while getting 7 steals for this game. The Hornets were able to corral 34 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 46 in this contest.

LaMelo Ball ended up being a major contributor for the Hornets for the game. He buried 7 of 19 in the matchup for a rate of 36.8%, and had 7 rebounds. Ball scored 19 points in his 29 mins of playing time and totaled 6 dimes in the game.

Charlotte has a mark of 44-38 on the year. As an offense, the Hornets are shooting 46.0% from the field, which ranks them 25th in basketball. Charlotte has accounted for 9,513 pts for the year (116.0 per game) and they snag 46.1 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 26.3 times per game (15th in the NBA) and they are losing possession via turnover 15.4 times per contest. The Hornets commit 19.1 personal fouls per game while shooting 81.8% from the free throw line.

The Hornets on defense are ranked 7th in the league in points per game surrendered with 111.2. They have forced 12.7 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 46.7% from the floor (11th in the league). The Charlotte defense concedes 35.9% on 3-point shots (1,051 of 2,924) and their opponents are knocking down 80.1% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 25.9 assists and 39.3 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks 9th and 1st in basketball.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Miami (+5.0)

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