Hornets 115, Heat 110: Charlotte Answers a 47-Point Loss With a Third-Quarter Surge
Brandon Miller scored 34 and Grayson Allen's four-point play ended a Miami rally as the Hornets beat the winless Heat a night after a 128-81 home-opener loss.
The Charlotte Hornets beat the Miami Heat 115-110 on Saturday night at Spectrum Center, a day after a 128-81 home-opening loss to Atlanta that AP described as the fifth-largest defeat in franchise history. Miami, still without a win, fell to 0-3.
Miller leads the way
Brandon Miller scored 34 points and added seven rebounds, a sharp turnaround from the six points he scored against the Hawks. Dennis Schroder finished with 25, Naz Reid had 23 (15 of them from three-point range) and Grayson Allen added 20, 12 of them from deep. Charlotte shot 16 of 43 from three on the night, after going 11 of 51 the night before.
The third-quarter run
The game was level at 31-31 after one quarter and Charlotte led 66-58 at halftime. The decisive stretch came after the break: five three-pointers fuelled a 24-7 run that pushed the Hornets from 68-63 to a 92-70 lead with 2:55 left in the third quarter, according to AP.
Miami's cause was hurt by foul trouble for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds and fouled out with 1:57 to play. That was well below the 35.5 points per game he had averaged in his first two games after his offseason trade from Milwaukee.
Miami's comeback and Allen's answer
Without Antetokounmpo for stretches, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra turned to a lineup built around Davion Mitchell and Bam Adebayo with reserves Larsson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bobby Portis Jr., and Miami clawed back to tie the game at 100, 102 and 104. Mitchell led the Heat with 22 points, Adebayo had 20, Larsson 15 and Klay Thompson 14.
After the last tie, with 3:46 to play, Allen hit a three from the left wing while being fouled by Hardaway at the end of the shot clock, then made the free throw for a four-point play and a 108-104 lead. Miami never got closer than three after that.
Reid told teammates during the late stretch that it was time to restart, as Yahoo Sports reported: "Game's just starting now. Last five minutes." Miller said afterwards, per the same report: "I think tonight shows what Hornets basketball is really made of."
What it means
For Charlotte, the win moves the team to 2-1 and answers questions raised by the Atlanta loss; Miller's performance came days after he signed a five-year, $209 million contract extension, per AP. The teams were meeting for the first time since Charlotte's 127-126 overtime win in last season's East play-in tournament ended Miami's season. LaMelo Ball, who hit the game-winning shot in that game, has since been traded to Minnesota.
Miami, meanwhile, remains winless and hosts Dallas on Monday. Charlotte hosts Washington the same night.