Heat, Herro Beat Hornets

Leading candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, Tyler Herro, had another impressive game with 35 points off the bench, leading the Miami Heat to 144-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday.

“I have to give credit to my teammates. They trust me to have the ball in my hands and let me be myself,” Herro said. “I couldn’t do it without them. Another good win for us and just getting ready for the playoffs.”

In this fifth straight win, Miami had their second-highest point total in franchise history. Charlotte gave up 144 points for the second consecutive game after a 144-112 loss to the 76ers on Saturday.

Terry Rozier completed a three-point play for the games first points. LaMelo Ball knocked a couple of shots from distance to give the Hornets a quick 9-0 lead, before Bam Adebayo opened the scoring from the charity strike for Miami, two minutes into the game. Miles Bridges hit another three-pointer and it took the Hornets nearly three and a half minutes to miss a field goal attempt.

Adebayo was a force in the Heat’s offense in the early stages. PJ Washington threw down an athletic dunk after a James Borrego timeout. Duncan Robinson briefly knotted the game, but Ball’s assist to Jalen McDaniels for a basket in the closing seconds, gave the Hornets a three point lead, 32-29, at the end of the first quarter.

McDaniels made seven quick points off the bench, capped off by a walk-up transition three to start the second quarter. Jimmy Butler tricked Kelly Oubre Jr. on a pump fake and finished through contact and hit the and-one free throw to give the Heat their first advantage of the night, 42-41.

Mason Plumlee tipped a rebound to Isaiah Thomas for a basket. Herro’s floater gave Miami a 46-41 lead, but the Hornets responded with a 7-2 run to recapture the lead. The teams exchanged baskets for a short time before Robinson’ fifth three of the half sparked a 17-6 surge, giving Miami a 10 point lead going into intermission, 70-60.

Plumlee converted a layup that began an 8-0 run to start the second half, making it a one possession game, before Adebayo’s three-point play stopped the bleeding. Bridges kept the game close with his strong finishes around the rim, before Washington scored and gave the Hornets their first lead of the quarter, 80-79. Caleb Martin hit a shot from downtown for Miami, while his brother Cody hit one of his own for the Hornets. Miami was able to counteract scoring by McDaniels and Ball to put the Heat ahead, 102-97 after three.

McDaniels scored for the Hornets to open the fourth. Thomas fouled Herro and he sank all three free throws. The Heat went on a 13-2 spurt. Robinson’s shot from beyond the arc ended the run with 7:55 remaining in the quarter for a 117-99 lead, with Ball on the sideline. He did not reenter the game until the Hornets were down by fifteen and the game was out of reach.

23 made three-pointers set a Heat franchise record along with the second-highest scoring game in the organizations history.

“That’s why they are a title contender,” Hornets coach James Borrego said of the Heat. “They’ve got depth, size, they shoot it, they defend. They are a hell of a group, so give them credit. It was a test for us.”

Bridges scored a team-high 29 points, with six rebounds, four assists and one steal for the Hornets. Ball had a double-double with 18 points, five rebounds, 14 dimes and one steal. Rozier finished with 16 points, two rebounds, and six assists. Washington contributed 13 points, six boards, four assists and one rejection.

As stated previously, Hero scored a game-high 35 points, with six rebounds, three assists and one steal for the Heat off the bench. Butler scored 27 points, had five rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Adebayo finished with 22 points, nine boards, three assists, one steal and one block. Robinson contributed 21 points, one rebound, two assists and one steal.

The Hornets host Franz Wagner and the Orlando Magic on Thursday. The Heat conclude their regular-season home schedule against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.