NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference – Round 1
Tip-off: Friday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Charlotte -1.5, Total: 191.0

The Heat will be looking to keep their season alive with a road win over the Hornets in Game 6 on Friday.

The Heat had a very good opportunity to go up 3-2 on Wednesday, but they were unable to close late. Miami had a lead in the final minutes of that contest, but Charlotte was able to emerge with a 99-80 victory. The Hornets were 5.5-point underdogs in that game and have now won-and-covered in three straight games in this series. One thing that is worth noting is that Miami has played pretty well in Charlotte recently. Despite losing both games on the road this series, the Heat are still 5-5 SU and 6-4 ATS when playing at Time Warner Cable Arena over the past three seasons. The trends in this game do, however, favor the Hornets coming into this one. Charlotte is 21-8 ATS in home games versus teams that commit 14 or less turnovers per game in the second half of the season under Steve Clifford. Miami will continue to be without PF Chris Bosh (Blood Clot) and SG Tyler Johnson (Shoulder) indefinitely and Charlotte will only be without SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Shoulder), who is out for the remainder of the year.

SG Dwyane Wade (19.6 PPG, 6.0 APG, 5.2 RPG in playoffs) finally started to score the basketball for the Heat in Game 5, finishing with 25 points in 32 minutes of action. Wade did, however, turn the ball over five times in that game. A couple of those turnovers came late in the game and he’s going to have to make better decisions moving forward. It’s also going to be crucial that Wade comes up big in Game 6. His team is facing elimination and desperately needs him to come up with a big performance on the offensive end. Miami would also be wise to get the ball in C Hassan Whiteside’s (14.0 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 3.0 BPG in playoffs) hands more often in this game. Whiteside has a unique blend of strength and athleticism that the Hornets have had trouble dealing with in this series. He has, however, taken just 7.6 shots per game in the series and he should be used more around the basket on Friday. PG Goran Dragic (12.0 PPG, 4.8 APG in playoffs) is the guy that is going to need to get it to him. Dragic is Miami’s point guard, but he is only averaging 3.0 APG over the past two contests. That is miserable for a guy that is in charge of running the offense and he’ll need to do a better job of finding his teammates on Friday. He’ll also need to knock down some shots, as his 5-for-15 shooting from the field in Game 5 just might have doomed his team.

The Hornets went down 2-0 in this series, but they are now a victory away from advancing to the second round. If Charlotte is going to come away with this victory then PG Kemba Walker (22.6 PPG, 1.2 SPG in playoffs) is going to need to bring this thing home for the Hornets. Walker was just 4-for-18 from the field in Game 5 and if he shot the ball better then his team would not have had so much trouble winning that one. Walker must be more aggressive going to the rim, as he was off with his jumper and settled for it far too often on Wednesday. PG Jeremy Lin (14.0 PPG in playoffs) is also going to need to be aggressive for Charlotte. Lin had 11 points, seven assists and six boards in 35 minutes of action in Game 5. He has continued to put a lot of pressure on the Heat by attacking the rim relentlessly. Miami has no answer for him around the basket and he’s going to need to have a big game on Friday. PF Marvin Williams (6.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.0 SPG in playoffs) will, however, be the x-factor for the Hornets in this one. Williams came up huge in Game 5, finishing with 17 points and eight boards in 30 minutes of action. He was 3-for-4 from the outside and it was a much-needed shooting performance for him and the team. He needs to continue to knock down shots moving forward.