Heat vs. Hornets: Giannis Antetokounmpo and winless Miami visit short-handed Charlotte

The Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets met Saturday night at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, both a night removed from losses and both looking to steady an uneven start. Tipoff was 6 p.m. ET. The game was still in progress and not final when this post was published, so check NBA.com or the teams’ official channels for the final score.

Miami came in 0-2 after two home losses. Charlotte came in 1-1 after a lopsided home loss to Atlanta on Friday. It was the first of four regular-season meetings between the Southeast Division rivals.

How to watch Heat vs. Hornets

Broadcast details are from Inside the Heat on SI.

Miami looks for its first win

The Heat’s second straight home loss came Friday, 128-111 to the Detroit Pistons. Giannis Antetokounmpo was again productive with 36 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block on 15-of-26 shooting. Davion Mitchell added 18 points and five assists, per Athlon Sports. But SI’s Heat site wrote that Miami continued to shoot poorly and defend inconsistently.

Mitchell pointed to the defense as the root of the offensive problems. “We’re not getting stops so we’re not getting as many transition or even really good looks,” he told reporters, according to SI, adding that Detroit “speed[s] you up a little bit” and packs the paint.

Expected Heat starters, per SI:

• G Davion Mitchell
• G Klay Thompson
• C Bam Adebayo
• F Andrew Wiggins
• F Giannis Antetokounmpo

Miami’s only listed injury was guard Pelle Larsson, probable with a left finger sprain.

A short-handed Charlotte after the Hawks blowout

Charlotte is coming off a 128-81 loss to Atlanta on Friday, the Hornets’ first home game since they traded LaMelo Ball. Naz Reid led Charlotte with 17 points and six rebounds in that game, and Tidjane Salaün added 11 points and five rebounds off the bench.

The Hornets reshaped their roster in the offseason. According to SI, they traded Ball to Minnesota for Reid, a first-round pick and two second-round swaps, sent Miles Bridges to Phoenix in a deal that brought back Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, re-signed Coby White and added veteran guard Dennis Schröder.

Injuries are piling up. Per the Hornets’ injury update, reported by Athlon:

Knueppel and White were each set to miss a third straight game. Expected Hornets starters, per SI: Dennis Schröder, Sion James, Moussa Diabaté, Brandon Miller and Naz Reid.

Recent history between the teams

Miami won last season’s regular-season series 3-1, but Charlotte had the last word, eliminating the Heat from the Play-In Tournament with a 127-126 overtime win in April, according to SI. Miami leads the all-time regular-season series 83-50.

Pregame betting lines listed Miami as a 3 1/2-point favorite.

FAQ