NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference – Round 1
Tip-off: Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET
Line: Miami -6.5, Total: 191.0

The Heat host the Hornets in a win or go home Game 7 at American Airlines Arena on Sunday.

Charlotte had a chance to closeout this series at home, but the team was unable to put away a desperate Miami team. The Heat were two-point underdogs in the game, but they ended up winning 97-90. One of the big differences in the game was that Miami outrebounded Charlotte 52-43. The Heat also shot 45.8% from the floor and held the Hornets to just 42.1%. Miami will be confident coming into this one, as the team is 9-2 SU and 6-5 ATS when hosting Charlotte over the past three seasons. The Heat are also 15-7 ATS after having lost two of their past three games this season. Charlotte, however, is 9-1 ATS in road games revenging a SU loss as a favorite versus an opponent over the past two seasons. SF Nicolas Batum (Ankle) is listed as questionable for the Hornets, who are without C Spencer Hawes (MCL) and SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Shoulder) for the rest of the season. The Heat, meanwhile, remain without PF Chris Bosh (Blood Clot) indefinitely.

The Hornets are going to be kicking themselves after having a chance to win this series on Friday night. Now they’ll need to turn around and find a way to beat the Heat in Miami once again on Sunday. One guy that will be ready for this one is PG Kemba Walker (25.0 PPG, 3.7 APG, 1.3 SPG in playoffs). Walker had 37 points and five assists in Game 6 and was truly outstanding for his team. He was hitting all of his jumpers and blew by Miami’s defenders to finish at the rim whenever he wanted. He’ll need to be aggressive as a scorer once again in Game 7. C Al Jefferson (14.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG in playoffs) could be the guy that steps up and helps Walker in this one. He played well in Game 6, finishing the game with 18 points and nine boards in 30 minutes of action. The Heat have more athletic bigs than Jefferson, but he is a lot stronger than them and knows how to use his body around the basket. He’ll need to come away with a solid performance on both ends of the floor.

The Heat desperately needed a victory on Friday and SG Dwyane Wade (20.2 PPG, 5.7 APG, 5.3 RPG, 1.2 BPG in playoffs) delivered it for the team with a huge performance. Wade had 23 points, six boards, four assists, three blocks and two steals in Game 6. He was finishing around the rim, but he was also knocking down jumpers and that was something that he did not do this season. Miami will need Wade to come through once again on Sunday. C Hassan Whiteside (13.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 3.2 BPG in playoffs) will also be big for this Heat team in Game 7. He had 12 points, seven boards and four blocks in Game 6 but he did foul out of that one. He’ll need to stay on the floor in this one, as he is important on both ends of the court for Miami.