With 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists, Bam Adebayo led the Miami Heat to a 104-87 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night.
Miami never trailed thanks to 21 points from Tyler Herro, who nailed four 3-pointers. Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 15 points but left the game early in the second quarter due to a groyne strain, while Duncan Robinson finished with 19 points.
The Heat finished the regular-season series against Charlotte with a four-game sweep, shooting 11 for 25 from three-point range. They also triumphed over Southeast Division opponents at home for the 22nd time in a row.
Erik Spoelstra, the coach of the Heat, stated, “This was potentially a trap game.” “I thought the strategy was excellent, and our defensive effort produced everything, especially in the first half.”
LaMelo Ball finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, while Terry Rozier scored 26 points for Charlotte. Miles Bridges scored twenty points in the end.
The Hornets have now lost 16 out of 17 games overall and five in a row.
The Hornets trailed by 21 points at the half after scoring 31 points in the first half, which is an NBA worst for any half this season. In the first two quarters, they made 10 turnovers and were just 1 for 18 from 3-point range.
“We’ve been making a lot of pretty excellent shots, I felt early on. The Hornets’ coach, Steve Clifford, stated, “They didn’t go in.” “That is what will occur. The most important thing about tonight, in my opinion, is that we must continue to defend when the ball is not in. We haven’t defended at the same level as we did in any of the previous three games. That is the thing we must return to.
Ball scored 14 points in the third quarter of his 20-game hiatus due to a right ankle injury. He made his return on Friday. With 6:06 left, Ball’s jumper cut the score to 64-52, and Miami quickly rallied with a 13-5 run.
Herro declared, “Basketball is a game of runs; they’re going to hit shots.” “We just need to respond and make sure we’re playing the correct way.”
Charlotte had suffered a combined 61-point loss in its previous two games. It was defeated 135-99 at San Antonio on Friday night to begin a three-game journey.
“There needs to be more buy-in. That’s all there is to it, according to Hornets forward P.J. Washington. “We have a lot of cleaning up to do; we’re making mistakes in our coverages and our offensive play.”
