Charlotte Hornets beat the Heat, but may have also suffered a loss to the lineup
Devonte Graham made two huge jump shots in overtime and Malik Monk scored a career-high 36 points to beat the Heat in Miami 129-121 Monday.
Monk hit a clutch 3-pointer on the Hornets’ final possession of regulation to force overtime. Playing off the bench, Monk made 9 of 13 3-point attempts.
The Hornets played without starting shooting guard Terry Rozier (sprained ankle) and lost power forward P.J. Washington in the second half to a sprained foot.
With Rozier out, rookie LaMelo Ball made his first NBA start. He finished with 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Ball hit two free throws late in overtime to secure the victory, the Hornets third in a row to improve to 10-11.
Graham finished with 24 points and Cody Zeller had 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Five observations from Charlotte’s third straight win:
P.J. Washington injured
Starting power forward P.J. Washington suffered a right foot sprain in the third quarter that put him out for the game.
Washington being out stresses the rotation because he plays primarily forward, but is also the second option at center in a small-ball unit. Coach James Borrego has dramatically cut back on center Bismack Biyombo’s minutes since Cody Zeller’s return from a month out with a broken finger.
The Hornets assigned forward Jalen McDaniels to the G-League Greensboro Swarm after McDaniels started the season in the rotation. It’s conceivable McDaniels could be recalled from the G-League bubble outside Orlando, Fla., if Washington’s injury puts him out for a while.
LaMelo Ball’s first start
Rookie Ball, the third overall pick, got his first NBA start in Game 21, replacing Terry Rozier, who sat out the game with a sprained right ankle.
Many Hornets fans have clamored for Ball, the 6-foot-7 point guard, to start sooner. He was coming off a 27-point, nine-assist performance in Saturday’s victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Rozier sat out the second half of that game.
Borrego said pre-game he expected Ball to handle starting without any jitters.
“I expect him to play the same way: Same spirit, same energy,” Borrego said. “That’s LaMelo. I don’t think (in) starting him he’ll be afraid of the moment or shy away from the moment.”
Ball got in quick foul trouble in the first half. He had three fouls by halftime, as did forward Miles Bridges.
Malik Monk red-hot
Former lottery pick Malik Monk sat for most of the Hornets’ first 10 games. He entered the rotation for more than spot duty four games ago, and he was at his best in the first half in Miami.
Monk made his first four attempts from 3-point range and scored 18 points in the first half. He has been a big boost of late to a Charlotte team searching for offense.
Monk missed training camp with a positive COVID-19 test. That, combined with far more depth at the wing positions this season, put him outside the rotation early this season. He has since passed Caleb and Cody Martin and Jalen McDaniels in the pecking order.
Three-pointers aplenty
The Hornets haven’t been a good shooting team the past two seasons. That’s improved of late, with the Hornets making 42% from 3 in their past three games.
That carried into the first half Monday, making 9 of 19 from outside. Monk made six of those. The other 3s came from Gordon Hayward, Devonte Graham and Caleb Martin.
Who’s that guy?
The Heat has a reputation for always having another developmental player ready to blossom. Monday, Max Strus, an undrafted player on a two-way contract, went off for Miami.
In the first half, he had 17 points and made 5 of 8 3s. Strus played college ball at DePaul and spent time with the Heat’s G-League team.
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 10:18 PM.
