The Game 1 of Eastern Conference first-round series in the 2016 NBA Playoffs between the Hornets vs. Heat is underway at the American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida and kicks off at 5:30 P.M. Eastern Time, and can be watched on TNT. “The excitement, the atmosphere was great”.
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It wasn’t Walker’s worst game of the season if you look at the numbers. The Hornets limited Whiteside to less than 10 points in two of the four outings during the regular season, but Whiteside eliminated any doubt about how he’d perform in the playoffs as he scored 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
For starters, Deng’s move to power forward freed him up to be more aggressive with his slashing and cuts instead of being relegated to standing at the three-point line.
Turning PointThe Heat had their Hornets on their heels from the opening tip as Miami played a nearly-flawless first quarter on its way to the victory. “We just came out and played our hearts out as a team”. Afterwards Winslow pointed to franchise guard Dwyane Wade whose own euro-step has been an integral part of his offensive arsenal throughout his career. Defensively, the Hornets yield 100.7 points against the opposing teams. Miami is a slim -171 betting favorite at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com to defeat the Charlotte Hornets, who are a +125 underdog.
“This is how we’ve been playing since the All-Star break, sharing the wealth, obviously some games more than others”, said Wade, who had seven assists. The Charlotte Hornets are averaging 91 points on 43.1 percent shooting and allowing 123 points on 57.6 percent shooting. He didn’t make a lot of shots, but he didn’t hide from the moment, and that’s just as important for a rookie making his debut. “And we have so much depth now”. Before that, they had 41 points in the first quarter, which tied another franchise record in the playoffs. The mark was set originally against the New Jersey Nets on May 10, 2006. The key to this series might be who can win on the road, and the Hornets are stingy when it comes to giving up home court losses; even though Miami handed them one.
Two years ago the Heat double-teamed Walker extensively, but things have changed since then. The Hornets were 28-of-65 overall.
“Oh, yeah, for sure, ” coach Steve Kerr said of Curry campaigning to play.
Hornets Player of the GameNicolas Batum paced the Hornets with 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, including 3-of-7 from long range.
Deng scored five points during the early second-half spurt, and his layup 2:23 into the second half gave Miami a 74-50 lead.
The knee is fine, and the days of rest will probably help me, Walker said Monday.
The Hornet have won seven of their last ten games and the Heat have won six dating back to the regular season. Johnson has been working back from rotator cuff surgery since the beginning of February with an eye on returning around this time, while Bosh has been out with an apparent blood clot and seems highly unlikely to return this season.
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Finally in mid-March, Charlotte returned to Miami and got revenge with a 109-106 win.
