Miami Heat vs. Charlotte Bobcats: NBA Preview
Miami Heat will take on the Charlotte Bobcats at the American Airlines Arena on Friday night. The Heat are currently sitting in third spot in the Eastern Conference with 54 wins and 24 losses, while the Bobcats are in 10th place with 32 wins and 46 losses.
The Bobcats have been mired in injury and transaction issues this season and do not boast a good record on the road. In 39 away games this fall, the North Carolina franchise have only managed to grab 12 wins.
To make matters worse, they are on a four-game losing streak, and are coming up against one of the hottest teams in the East.
The Bobcats come into the second game of their Florida Beach run after a 111-102 overtime loss to the Orlando Magic, a result that put them out of contention for the playoffs. Gerald Henderson tallied a career-high 32 points in that game, but D.J. Augustin scored just six points on 2 of 14 shooting.
Bobcats coach Paul Silas said after the defeat, "It's difficult to take because we wanted to be (in the playoffs). We didn't make it, but I look at the positives. Something good's going to happen."
It’s definitely not going to be easier for Charlotte against the Miami Heat, who have a great chance of sweeping the season series against the Bobcats for the first time since 2005-06.
However, in their previous game on Wednesday night, the Heat lost to the ninth seeded Milwaukee Bucks 90-85. The result meant Miami surrendered second spot in the East. They will now be looking to do their best to avoid a second straight loss to a non-playoff team.
The Heat played against the Bucks without their star player Dwayne Wade. The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) third leading scorer (25.7 points per game) injured his right knee against the New Jersey Nets in Sunday’s game. The Heat will probably have to manage without Wade again for this game, as his inclusion in Friday's game is still uncertain.
The team management will make a final decision about whether Wade is fit enough to play against the Bobcats after Friday morning's training. The Heat might rest Wade for this game, but they would definitely want him back by Sunday, when they face the second placed Boston Celtics. Boston have won all of the last three games between the sides this season.
At the moment, the Heat are struggling without Wade, as they marked their lowest point total since the All-Star break and their shooting average fell to 40.5 percent.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters, "Much like these games feel in the playoffs, you lose one, everyone is ready to panic and shovel dirt on whatever we're trying to do. We just have to stay the course and take care of business."
In the absence of Wade, Miami will rely heavily on LeBron James and Chris Bosh, who scored 29 and 18 points respectively against the Bucks. However, they were the only two Miami players who managed to reach the double figure mark.
James is averaging 29.7 points against Charlotte this season, and Miami have won all three games against the Bobcats by an average of 11.3 points. Meanwhile, his team-mate Bosh is averaging over 24.1 points against the Bobcats.
Like Miami, the Bobcats are also facing injury problems. They are missing their key player Stephen Jackson, who is nursing a left hamstring injury. A final decision on his inclusion will be made before the game. So far, the Bobcats have lost four straight games without their top scorer.
NBA Preview: Miami Heat take on the Charlotte Bobcats
Miami Heat will take on the Charlotte Bobcats at the American Airlines Arena on Friday night. The Heat are currently sitting in third spot in the Eastern Conference with 54 wins and 24 losses, while the Bobcats are in 10th place with 32 wins and 46 losses.
The Bobcats have been mired in injury and transaction issues this season and do not boast a good record on the road. In 39 away games this fall, the North Carolina franchise has only managed to grab 12 wins.
To make matters worse, they are on a four-game losing streak, and are coming up against one of the hottest teams in the East.
The Bobcats come into the second game of their Florida Beach run after a 111-102 overtime loss to the Orlando Magic, a result that put them out of contention for the playoffs. Gerald Henderson tallied a career-high 32 points, but D.J. Augustin scored just six points on 2 of 14 shooting.
Bobcats coach Paul Silas said after the defeat, "It's difficult to take because we wanted to be (in the playoffs). We didn't make it, but I look at the positives. Something good's going to happen."
It’s definitely not going to be easier for Charlotte against the Miami Heat, who have a great chance of sweeping the season series against the Bobcats for the first time since 2005-06.
However, in their previous game on Wednesday night, the Heat lost to the ninth seeded Milwaukee Bucks 90-85. The result meant Miami surrendered second spot in the East. They will now be looking to do their best to avoid a second straight loss to a non-playoff team.
The Heat played against the Bucks without their star player Dwayne Wade. The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) third leading scorer (25.7 points per game) injured his right knee against the New Jersey Nets in Sunday’s game. The Heat will probably have to manage without Wade again for this game, as his inclusion in Friday night game is still uncertain. The team management will decide if Wade is fit enough to play against the Bobcats after Friday morning's training.
The Heat might rest Wade for this game, but they would definitely want him back by Sunday, when they face the second placed Boston Celtics. Boston have won all of the last three games between the sides this season.
At the moment, the Heat are struggling without Wade, as they marked their lowest point total since the All-Star break and shooting average is 40.5 percent.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters, "Much like these games feel in the playoffs, you lose one, everyone is ready to panic and shovel dirt on whatever we're trying to do. We just have to stay the course and take care of business."
In the absence of Wade, Miami will rely heavily on LeBron James and Chris Bosh, who scored 29 and 18 points respectively against the Bucks. However, they were the only two Miami players who managed to reach the double figure mark.
James is averaging 29.7 points against Charlotte this season, and Miami have won all three games against the Bobcats by an average of 11.3 points. Meanwhile, his team-mate Bosh is averaging over 24.1 percent against the Bobcats.
Like Miami, the Bobcats are also facing same problems. They are missing their key player Stephen Jackson, due to injury. His inclusion will be a game time decision. So far, the Bobcats have lost four straight games without their top scorer, who is taking care of his tender left hamstring.
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