The Eastern Conference play-in tournament continues on Tuesday, April 14 as the Miami Heat travel to face the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Heat enter the matchup as the No. 10 seed at 43–39, while the Hornets hold the No. 9 position at 44–38.
Both teams arrive with postseason positioning on the line, and availability updates play a key role in the matchup build-up.
The Miami Heat injury report includes multiple rotation players with varied designations. Simone Fontecchio is listed as available with left ankle soreness. Tyler Herro is also available while managing right foot soreness.
Nikola Jovic has been ruled out due to a left ankle sprain, removing a frontcourt depth option from the rotation. Pelle Larsson is probable with a right lower leg contusion, leaving his status dependent on pregame evaluation.
Dru Smith is out with right foot soreness, impacting backcourt depth. Kel’el Ware is available after recovering from illness, while Andrew Wiggins is available despite left big toe sesamoiditis.
Miami’s availability mix keeps several primary contributors active, but the absence of Jovic and Smith affects bench flexibility heading into a high-possession play-in environment.
On the Charlotte side, the Charlotte Hornets injury report contains no listed players. The Hornets enter the contest with a fully available rotation, providing continuity ahead of a home-court elimination-format game.
The Miami Heat arrive at 43–39 after closing the regular season with two consecutive wins, including a 140-point offensive performance against Washington. Charlotte enters at 44–38 following a split in its final two games, including a road win over New York.
The regular-season series between the two teams has been competitive, featuring four matchups. Miami won three of those meetings, while Charlotte secured one victory in a high-scoring result at home.
