After losing at home against the Portland Trail Blazers three nights ago, the Miami Heat were on the road to face the Charlotte Hornets. In their last game, the Heat defeated the Hornets on their home court, which also saw Dwight Howard pick up five fouls. Both teams were looking for a much needed win after losing on their home courts.
Charlotte would have the lead in the early goings of the contest, but the Heat responded with an eleven to one run. Miami would take the lead, but the Hornets would tie the game on several occasions, but a barrage of threes from Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington would put the Heat out in front. Miami also saw some contributions off the bench with Jordan Mickey and rookie Bam Adebayo (pronounced Ah-de-buy-yo) as well. By halftime, Miami led 53 to 47.
The Hornets rallied several times after halftime, thanks to the scoring of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Frank Kaminsky (pronounced Ka-min-ski) and Kemba Walker, who returned back to the game after being evaluated after getting shoulder checked by Goran Dragic. Miami would swell its lead again as its bench to continue to provide the lift for them. The Hornets would go on a twenty-one to eight run and appeared to be closing in on Miami’s lead, until Dragic would hit two free throws to seal the deal for the Heat, en route to a 104 to 98 victory.
The Heat are back in the .500 mark once again and are tied for 9th place with the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Standings. Last night’s game was quite similar to the aforementioned contest against the Blazers, where the opposition looked to rally back after being down and adjusting their approach. Unlike that game, however, Miami managed to hold on and not allow their offense to collapse. The Heat’s bench proved to be the difference maker, even in the absence of Justise Winslow and Hassan Whiteside, who are still nursing their knee injuries, the former making a return sooner than later.
”It’s very, very helpful to have that,” said the Heat’s Kelly Olynyk, who, along with Josh Richardson, James Johnson and Bam Adebayo, scored 11 points. ”That second unit is tough to guard. They’re making guys pay.”
While on the subject of the Heat, Coach Erik Spolestra tied with former coach and current team President Pat Riley, for the most wins in Heat history. Riley had 11 seasons to reach 454 wins, while it took Spolestra one season less to reach that goal. An impressive feat nonetheless.
For the Heat, Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington made 16 points each, Dion Waiters had 12 points, while Josh Richardson, James Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, and Bam Adebayo made 11 points each.
For the Hornets, Kemba Walker led the way with 25 points, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 13 points, Jeremy Lamb made 12 points, Frank Kaminsky with 10 points, and Dwight Howard with a double-double of 15 points and 16 rebounds.
The Heat return home to face the Los Angeles Clippers. Game starts at 8pm tonight and will be televised locally on Sun Sports and nationally on NBA League Pass.
The Heat Check Magazine 