Hornets Came Up Short Against the Heat

The Charlotte Hornets loss their second game of the season to the Miami Heat, 114-99. A big second half comeback led by Gordon Hayward (23) and Miles Bridges (22) ultimately came up short for the Hornets.

Charlotte took an early lead in the first quarter, then cooled off. The Heat went on an 11-0 run, while the Hornets missed seven straight shots from the field. Kelly Oubre Jr. hit three early shots from downtown to keep the Hornets in the game, while the rest of his teammates struggled mightily.
PJ Washington made his return Friday night after missing the last two games with knee soreness and contributed seven, first quarter points.

The quarter, for the most part, was played evenly, except the Heat had more offensive rebounds than the Hornets had defensive rebounds. Those extra shot attempts helped the Heat get out to an 11 point lead at the end of the first quarter, 33-22, highlighted by a 3-point buzzer beater from Tyler Herro.

The Heat’s domination continued into the second quarter, as they quickly established a 24 point lead before the six minute mark of the quarter. The lead grew as large as 26 before the Hornets could stop the bleeding.

Washington provided a spark, especially on the defensive end of the court, blocking a Duncan Robinson three point attempt, forcing a couple of steals and trying to neutralize Bam Adebayo. The Hornets were able to make some headway with free throw shooting and defensive stops heading into the break. The Hornets trailed 64-46.

Both teams started the second half frigid from the field, only connecting on two of their first 16 shots. Then Miles Bridges came to life, hitting a couple of 3-pointers and blocked a PJ Tucker 3-point shot. Then center Mason Plumlee found Oubre on a sweet back cut to trim the lead to 11.

The Heat hit two field goals to get back the momentum, forcing coach James Borrego to call a time out. When play resumed, the Hornets showed Miami some different looks on defense and it took the Heat out of their comfort zone. The Hornets forced a few turnovers and got out into transition. Hayward and Cody Martin hit shots from 3-point range, cutting the deficit to nine, 84-75 heading into the fourth quarter.

Martin began the fourth quarter by splashing down a 3-pointer to give him a career high 15 points. Charlotte held that deficit for a few possessions before the Heat went on a 7-0 run that helped them extend the lead to 13.

The Hornets took a time out to regroup and then went on a run of their own, slicing the lead down to eight and forced the Heat to call a time out. Charlotte would not get any closer. Jimmy Butler and Adebayo, each hit a pair of field goals to put the game away with just under three minutes remaining in the quarter.

Jimmy Butler led both teams in scoring with 32, Bam Adebayo had a great all-around game with 26 points and 19 rebounds. Miami unveiled his Olympic gold-medalist banner to honor him at halftime. Tyler Herro scored 26 points off the bench for Miami. Duncan Robinson added 10. The Heat had a massive advantage on the boards, outrebounding Charlotte 60-37.

Gordon Hayward scored 23 points and Miles Bridges had 22 for Charlotte. Kelly Oubre Jr. pitched in with 17 points and LaMelo Ball had an off night, shooting only 2-of-14 from the floor.

Miami came into Friday night’s game with the NBA’s top defense, Charlotte with the league’s top offense. Defense won out on this night, with Charlotte shooting a pedestrian 39% from the field.

The Heat travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Saturday. The Hornets go home to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.