NBA Game Preview: Miami Heat vs. New Orleans Hornets – Heat looking to secure 9th straight victory
Kicking off play for this week will be the New Orleans Hornets as they visit the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena. Having met once before on the 5th of last month, their matchup tonight is their second meeting
for the season.
Currently standing at a 17-8 mark for the season, the Heat are holding the 2nd position in the Eastern Conference trailing only the Boston Celtics. Plagued by losses last month, the Heat have finally managed to bounce
back. Standing on an eight-game winning streak, the Heat managed to displace Orlando Magic in the Conference standing, taking over the 2nd spot.
Coming back from four games on the road, Heat finished last week with an untainted 4-0 win-loss mark. Their latest win came Saturday when they defeated the Sacramento Kings by a margin of twenty-one points. The final match score
was 104-83.
Heat entered last week with four straight wins, looking only to extend it on their road trip. They started their week with a visit to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, defeating them 88-78. Heat only extended their streak in the days
that followed. Defeating the Utah Jazz (111-98) on Wednesday and then the Golden State Warriors (106-84) on Friday, the Heat were looking at a 6-5 mark on the road. Their win against the Kings on Saturday made it their eighth straight win with double digits.
Scoring 36 against the Kings, shooting guard Dwayne Wade recorded his fifth straight game with at least 25 points. It can be said without a doubt that Wade’s recent performance has had a major hand in the Heat’s recent winning
streak. Talking about their recent success, Wade said, "We have a different mentality both off the floor and on the court as well. We understood and knew November was a tough month for us. But with that adversity there was a lot of growth going on.
It was just about when it was going to click and right now it's clicking for us."
The in-form Heat looks to become the first team this season to enjoy nine straight double digit wins. Given their recent success, Heat have definitely become one of the league’s most impressive team recently. Hornets, on the other
hand, have lost their good fortune run. Starting off the season with an impressive 11-1, the Hornets’ recent losses have brought them to a 14-9 win-loss mark for the season.
Although currently on a two-game losing streak, Hornets’ recent performance suggests a trend where after every two losses, the team manages to secure itself a win. Maybe this trend will show itself tonight as well as the team visits
the Heat.
The Hornets finished off last week with only one win (93-74 over the Detroit Pistons), recording a disappointing 1-2 for the week. Their first loss for the week came on Friday when they hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder. After a
92-97 defeat, the Hornets’ latest defeat came last night when they visited the Philadelphia 76ers. Missing 51 of 67 shots, the Hornets’ lost to the Sixers 70-88.
Talking about the Hornets’ recent defeats and their season opener winning record, Coach Monty Williams said, "We've said this before - we've set a bar for how we want to play, and we've done it. The bottom line is, we have to get
back to that. It takes some individual pride. It takes some strategy from me. I have to make sure I'm doing my job. But at the end of the day, you have to bring it from the jump."
Although the Hornets’ lead the head-to-head 1-0 this season, the Heat’s recent form suggests that they might be successful in levelling the score. However, who achieves what remains to be seen. Will the Hornets lead 2-0 or will
the Heat level their head-to-head this season?
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