Miami Heat outlasts Charlotte Hornets

The Miami Heat clamped down on the Charlotte Hornets in the fourth quarter on the way to a 108-101 victory Wednesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Charlotte (28-36) led 86-81 entering the final quarter, but could only manage five points in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the final quarter. By that time, the Heat (31-34) had taken a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. The Hornets would score just 15 points in the fourth, making 28.6 percent of their shots.

The Heat – a team the Hornets are competing with to make the playoffs – looked like it might blow the game open in the second quarter, bolting to a 46-34 lead. But the Hornets finished the half on a 20-8 run to tie it 54-54. Walker scored 14 down the stretch.

The Hornets dominated the third quarter, led by Walker, outscoring the Heat 32-27. But the Hornets went cold early in the fourth. Marco Belinelli’s 3-pointer and a jumper by Nic Batum were Charlotte’s only points, as the Heat opened up a 96-91 lead with 5 minutes, 30 seconds left.

After Walker cut it to 102-98 with a 3-pointer, the Heat grabbed three offensive rebounds on the next possession, then went up by seven on a deep 3 by Dion Waiters (24 points).

Three who mattered

Walker: Took over the Hornets offense several times and scored 32 points. He’ll be Eastern Conference player of the week again at this pace.

Marvin Williams: Hornets forward had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Goran Dragic: Heat’s shifty, craft point guard scored 22 points and added 10 assists.

Observations

▪  The Hornets got good production from the bench – a concern of coach Steve Clifford – in the first half. Jeremy Lamb scored six points in 13 minutes and Marco Belinelli added five in nine minutes.

▪  Batum sprained his left ankle in the third quarter and briefly left the game. Batum had 16 points, seven rebounds and four steals in 31 minutes.

▪  The game had a decidedly south Florida, Caribbean vibe to it, with the Heat wearing red uniforms and the Hornets in teal.

▪  The Hornets had a three-game winning streak against the Heat entering the game, including two earlier this season and the final time they played last season. They play again April 5 in Charlotte.

Worth mentioning

▪  Hornets coach Steve Clifford said before the game he hopes center-forward Frank Kaminsky (shoulder) will be back for a road game March 15 against Indiana, but it’s more likely he’d be back March 18 against Washington.

▪  Hornets forward Johnny O’Bryant sprained his right ankle in the first half and didn’t return.

▪  Williams was called for a flagrant foul in the first half when he got too physical with the Heat’s James Johnson.

They said it

“We can’t pick and chose when we’re going to defend.” – Clifford.

“Both teams know how important these games are.” – Walker.

Report card

B OFFENSE: Heavily reliant on Walker, as usual, and early fourth-quarter drought was one of the differences in the game.

C DEFENSE: Didn’t get a consistent effort, but there wasn’t anything to be done about some of the shots the Heat was making in the fourth quarter.

C COACHING: Can’t let winnable games against teams also in the playoff mix slip away.

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 10:09 PM with the headline "Miami Heat outlasts Charlotte Hornets."