NBA Betting Preview: Miami Heat vs. Charlotte Hornets Game 6 Odds, Analysis

The Charlotte Hornets have won the last three games of their first-round playoff series with the Miami Heat and need only one more victory at home in Game 6 on Friday to successfully overcome a 2-0 deficit and advance to the second round.

The Hornets are listed as consensus 1.5-point favorites at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Charlotte became the first team to break serve in the series with a 90-88 win at Miami as a 5.5-point road underdog in Game 5 on Wednesday. Shooting guard Courtney Lee was the hero for the Hornets, hitting the game-winning three-pointer with 25.2 seconds remaining after making only 1-of-9 from the field overall previously.

Lee finished with eight points while power forward Marvin Williams had his best game of the series with 17 points and eight rebounds. They are 3-0 in the series since head coach Steve Clifford opted to go with a bigger lineup, starting Al Jefferson and Frank Kaminsky.

The Heat have not had much success lately at Charlotte, losing five of the past six meetings there. However, they did win 98-95 as four-point road underdogs on the betting lines at the sportsbooks at Time Warner Cable Arena on February 5 behind a triple-double from center Hassan Whiteside, who totaled 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.

But Whiteside has had trouble handling the Hornets inside defensively over the last four games of this series, picking up at least four fouls each time to limit his effectiveness. He has scored 19 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in the last two games combined after averaging 17 points and 14 boards in the first three.

Whiteside’s ability to stay on the court and become more of an offensive threat may be the key to forcing a Game 7.

The last three games in this series have all gone under the total after the previous three meetings went over, according to the Odds Shark NBA Database. Charlotte’s defense has been a huge factor, holding Miami to an average of 84.3 points in their wins.

The Heat had averaged 119 points in the first two games that they won at home, and they will likely need to play at a faster pace to earn their first road victory here.