The Miami Heat’s recent road trip concluded last night as they faced the Charlotte Hornets. Heading into the game, the Heat were 6 games above the .500 mark and sat in 6th place in the Eastern Conference standings. A win was much needed for Miami if they wanted to strengthen their presence as contenders.
In the first quarter, the Hornets jumped out in front of the Heat with their passing and scoring, finding players like Marvin Williams and Kemba Walker. Not to be outdone, the Heat responded back with offense of their own as Goran Dragic and Chris Bosh put Miami on the board as they tried to catch up with Charlotte. The Heat also looked poised on defense with the presence of Hassan Whiteside guarding the basket and allowing easy offense for Beno Udrih and Justise Winslow. By the end of the 3rd Quarter, Charlotte lead the game 31 to 25.
In the second quarter, Hassan Whiteside continued to be a menace in the post as he grabbed rebounds and blocked every shot possible. The Heat began to ride the momentum of Whiteside’s presence as Dwyane Wade got his first basket in the game. By then, the Heat and the Hornets began to trade the lead back and forth. The memorable moment of the quarter was when Wade threw down a thunderous slam dunk on Nicolas Batum as he started to take over the game. As the second quarter concluded, the game was tied at 47.
In the third quarter, Miami were doing all they can to break away from Charlotte, but the Hornets weren’t going to allow the Heat to do so. There was a scary moment earlier in the quarter as Bosh was seen heading back to the locker room, but moments later he would return back to the game as there were no signs of injury. The Hornets’ Marvin Williams and Nicolas Batum lead the way in scoring as they were making their 3 pointers and making layups. The Hornets went on a 26 to 20 scoring run in the third and closed the quarter with a 73 to 67 lead.
As the fourth quarter started, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade continued to provide much of the offensive lift while Hassan Whiteside continued to be a menace as he continued to block more shots and snatch down several rebounds. Miami were rallying their way back into the game, thanks in part of Goran Dragic giving the Heat the lead twice. Whiteside was playing with a lot of aggression and passion on the court, but the Hornets were closed in on Miami as Marvin Williams knocked a pair of shots to give Charlotte the lead again. With little time left on the clock, the Heat looked to make a much needed basket to keep themselves in the game, which they did with a Bosh layup and extra point. The Heat weren’t done yet as they made key stops on defense and Luol Deng scoring the final points for the Heat, en route to a 98 to 95 victory.
This was another big win for the Heat as they now sit in 5th place of the Eastern Conference standings, despite the fact that they have won 7 games above the .500 mark. Had the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks not won their games last night, the Heat would’ve gone to 3rd place. In addition to the Heat’s memorable contest against the Hornets, NBA Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning was honored by the Charlotte Hornets for his playing days there. Mourning played with the Hornets from 1993 to 1995 before being acquired by Miami. He was in attendance along with former NBA center Patrick Ewing as they witnessed Hassan Whiteside’s triple double performance in his home state.
“I was at the YMCA around the corner two years ago; now I’m here,” Whiteside said. “When a ball is around my elbow area, I’m going to try and catch it.
“Whiteside just dominated every aspect of that game,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “Right now, he’s the premiere rim protector in the league. It changed the game when he came in; they were a totally different team when he was out there.”
Not to be outdone, Chris Bosh passed Grant Hill for the 86th spot on the NBA All-Time Scoring List while Dwyane Wade has tied with John Stockton for the 41st spot.
For the Heat, Dwyane Wade had 22 points, Chris Bosh with 20 points, Goran Dragic had 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists, Justise Winslow scored 8 points and 10 rebounds, and Hassan Whiteside put on a triple double performance of 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocks. For the Hornets, Marvin Williams had 27 points, Nicolas Batum scored 21 points, Kemba Walker with 20 points, and Jeremy Lin with 6 points.
The next game for the Heat is when they are back home to face the Los Angeles Clippers. That game starts at 2 on Super Bowl Sunday and will air nationally on ABC.
The Heat Check Magazine 