Heat host Hornets Friday for NBA Cup group stage matchup

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Charlotte Hornets (3-5, 12th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Miami Heat (4-3, ninth in the Eastern Conference)

Miami; Friday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Miami Heat host the Charlotte Hornets in an NBA Cup in-season tournament group play matchup.

Miami finished 37-45 overall and 24-28 in Eastern Conference action last season. The Heat shot 46.5% from the field and 36.7% from 3-point range last season.

Charlotte finished 19-63 overall and 1-15 in Southeast Division action during the 2024-25 season. The Hornets gave up 114.2 points per game while committing 18.7 fouls last season.

The teams meet for the second time this season. The Heat won 144-117 in the last matchup on Oct. 28.

INJURIES: Heat: Tyler Herro: out (ankle).

Hornets: Grant Williams: day to day (acl), LaMelo Ball: day to day (ankle), Brandon Miller: out (shoulder), Josh Green: day to day (shoulder).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.