Heat return home, face 11-35 Bobcats

The Miami Heat players stayed in Toronto to watch the Super Bowl Sunday night before flying back to Miami, but they won't have much time to relax. Miami will host the Charlotte Bobcats today at 7:30 p.m. after completing a 2-2 road trip.

The Heat clamped down on defense in the second half of yesterday's game against the Raptors, holding Toronto to 35 points after intermission. Nonetheless, Miami's play has been wildly inconsistent this season -- and the Heat is actually on track to have a lower win percentage than it had in 2010-11 and 2011-12. That seems strange when considering the Big Three now have familiarity and that Miami signed Ray Allen. But Allen has scored just one point in his last two games, forcing LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to score 81 of the team's total 100 points yesterday. Allen has played better at home than away this year, so maybe he'll help relieve the Big Three tonight.

The Bobcats have won just two of their last eight games and hold the same record as the Washington Wizards, 11-35. Charlotte also lost the 2012 second overall pick, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, to a concussion Saturday. He will not be available for tonight's game. People will bring up Dwyane Wade's kick to Ramon Sessions that earned him a one-game suspension, but tonight's game merely stands as a possible trap game for Miami. The Heat should defeat Charlotte at home, and Miami just needs to play well enough to win. Despite those recent losses -- boiling with frustration in Indiana, losing a double-overtime game against the Rajon Rondo-less Celtics -- Miami has won six of its last eight games. If the Heat continue to play up to their potential, they should have little trouble securing the No. 1 seed in the East.

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