T.M. Selection: Charlotte Hornets.

I like the Charlotte Hornets to cover the spread against the Miami Heat in this game on Tuesday. The Hornets have looked good in their games lately but they just lost a devastating game to the 76ers by 30 points and they were terrible with their defensive effort in that game, giving up 140+ points in the loss. I think they are going to bounce back with a better performance here and I expect them to be better on the defensive end too. The Heat have looked good on the defensive end this year and they are not really the kind of team that is going to put up 130+ points on the Hornets here. I think the Heat will keep this game more tame with their defensive effort and I expect the Hornets to stay in this game the entire time with their good offense. The Heat have won 4 games in a row now but I think they are due for a loss here. They won in much closer games in 2/3 of their previous 3 games and they didn't even put up 115+ points in either of those closer wins. The Hornets are also still fighting for seeding in this play-in tournament for the playoffs and they will have some motivation here to come out and win. The Heat have already clinched a playoff spot and have locked up their division so they really do not need to exert a lot of effort here and they are better off to just rest their players for the playoffs with only 4 games left on their schedule. I think this is a good spot for the Hornets to bounce back and upset the Heat here. I like the Hornets to cover the spread in this game.

T.M. Prediction: 116-110 Hornets.