The Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets will try to head into the NBA All-Star break with a victory Thursday night when they meet in Charlotte, N.C.
Each team lost its most recent outing, but it's far easier for the Eastern Conference-leading Heat to shrug off a loss than it is for the sub-.500 Hornets.
"I don't think we're (anywhere) near where we need to be," Heat guard Kyle Lowry said. "We don't want to be there yet, honestly. We're only in February. ... We want to be our best team in April, May.