Earning a win and covering the posted spread will be the goals for Miami when they hit take on the Hornets on Friday in pro hoops betting action.

(Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news). The Hornets are 25-47 so far on the season, and 36-36 ATS vs. the number. The Heat, meanwhile, are 56-15 and 37-34 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen New Orleans go 38-34 and the Heat go 36-35 on the totals.



View Miami vs New Orleans Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Hornets at No. 25 and the Heat at No. 6 heading into this contest. Handicapping models run by the computers at Odds Shark project a 105-94 result in favor of the Heat.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up New Orleans's No. 24-ranked offense (94.1 PPG) against a Heat defense that ranks No. 7 at 95.6 PPG. The Hornets have averaged 45.1% from the field per game, less than the Heat have managed so far this season (49.6% on average).

Defensively, the Heat feature the league's No. 5-rated defense on the road, giving up 95.1 points per game. New Orleans, meanwhile, comes in at No. 29 in the league in scoring at home.

Miami was a 101-97 loser in its last match on the road against the Bulls. They failed to cover the 6.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score of 198 sent OVER bettors to the payout window. LeBron James chucked in 32 points for Miami on Wednesday, but they still came up short in losing 101-97 at United Center.

Last time out for New Orleans, they were a 105-91 loser as they battled the Clippers at home. The Hornets failed to cover in the match as a 5.5-point underdog, while 196 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Eric Gordon scored 24 points in a failed effort to lead the Hornets to victory (they lost 105-91 to Los Angeles at New Orleans Arena on Wednesday).


Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing San Antonio are 5-5
After playing Chicago are 9-1
After a loss are 8-2

New Orleans Hornets Trends:
When playing on Friday are 3-7
Before playing Cleveland are 8-2
After playing LA Clippers are 4-6
After a loss are 4-6

A few Heat at Hornets trends to consider:
Miami is 24-1 SU in its last 25 games
Miami is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Miami's last 9 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Miami
New Orleans is 5-0-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Orleans's last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans's last 5 games


Next up:
Miami at San Antonio, Sunday, March 31
New Orleans home to Cleveland, Sunday, March 31