Hornets vs. Heat: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Spread Info and More

The Miami Heat look to extend their win streak when they host the New Orleans Hornets Monday night.

New Orleans recently ended a nine-game losing streak with an impressive victory over the Orlando Magic, but two days later, the Hornets were thrashed by the Atlanta Hawks. 

Miami is coming off a close victory over the Chicago Bulls, but a win is a win, and the Heat's confidence continues to rise after beating quality opponents. 

This shouldn't be much of a contest for the Heat, but the trick is to not overlook the Hornets, as they've shown they can compete with good teams. The last thing Miami needs right now is to come out flat and lose to New Orleans in front of its hometown fans. 

With that said, let's take a look at some specifics of this NBA showdown. 

When: Monday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET 

Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL

Watch: Sun Sports 

Live Stream: NBA League Pass

Betting Line: Miami (-12)

What's At Stake? 

For the Heat, this is a game that they're supposed to win, so there's much at stake here. Avoiding a loss here is key, because it will raise red flags about this team. Miami doesn't need to get complacent even though it is up against a much weaker team. 

For the Hornets, this is a chance for them to show they have what it takes to run with the big boys. Their win against the Magic built up some confidence, but it was quickly shot down the next game. New Orleans has to shake it off and prove that they aren't the worst team in the league by at least staying competitive with the Heat. 

New Orleans Injury Report 

*According to CBS Sports

 SG Eric Gordon (knee): Out until at least early February 

Miami Injury Report 

*According to CBS Sports

No injuries to report 

What They're Saying 

John Reid covers the Hornets for The Times-Picayune, and he tweeted just how bad the Hornets were in their last game. 

In Reid's recent column, he quoted head coach Monty Williams, saying "I was really disappointed in the kinds of shots we took tonight." 

Really disappointed has to be a understatement there, because the Hornets were downright awful on Sunday night. It was a season-low scoring effort from the Hornets, and they'll have to forget about it.

If New Orleans doesn't forget about that and plays the same way, the Heat will annihilate them far worse than the Hawks did. 

After the game against the Bulls, LeBron James took to Twitter to share his thoughts on how it all went down. 

The Heat won by four, but LeBron missed five free-throw shots, including two in the closing seconds of the game that allowed the Bulls to stay close.

Luckily for LeBron, Chris Bosh came through with his free throws to close out the game. This game shouldn't come down to free throws, but that's definitely an area that LeBron needs to lock down, especially in big games like that. 

New Orleans Player to Watch 

Jarrett Jack has really stepped up his game for the Hornets, and one can only imagine what this team would be doing if it had Eric Gordon fully healthy. 

Jack leads the active players on the team in scoring as well as assists. He's currently averaging 16 points and seven assists for New Orleans, and the Hornets will need him to be just as good as that, if not better, against Miami. 

The point guard is doing a great job of putting points on the board as well as creating shots for his teammates, and he'll have to be on his A-game if the Hornets wish to upset the Heat.

Miami Player to Watch 

After dropping 35 points against the Bulls, LeBron is definitely the player to watch Monday night. Chicago is a much better team than New Orleans, so one would expect LeBron to perform even better.

There's a chance he takes it easier in this game because the level of talent isn't as great as Chicago, but then again, he could just continue his dominance.

LeBron has scored more than 30 points in each of his last three games, so look for him to keep that streak going. 

Key Matchup 

The Hornets have to find a way to slow down LeBron. By doing that, it will force other players to step up, which everybody knows they can. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade are fully capable of carrying the load. 

However, by limiting LeBron's production paired with great shooting, the Hornets will have a much better chance at pulling off the upset. 

If New Orleans is unable to prevent LeBron from another monster performance, it stands no chance against the Heat. 

Prediction 

Heat 99, Hornets 83