JUST IN: Miami Heat concludes the back-to-back series against the Charlotte Hornets with a focus on safeguarding their leads.
Approaching the one-quarter mark of the NBA season, the Miami Heat has encountered challenges, having lost four games where they held substantial leads of at least 16 points. In their upcoming game against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, the Heat aims to establish an advantage and maintain it—a task easier said than done in the competitive NBA. In their recent match in Charlotte on Monday, the Heat, despite leading by as much as 14 points, secured a narrow 116-114 victory. Terry Rozier of the Hornets, with an impressive performance of eight 3-pointers and 34 points, nearly clinched the game with a buzzer-beating half-court shot that ultimately bounced off the backboard. Duncan Robinson, leading Miami with 24 points, acknowledged the team’s resilience but stressed the need for improved lead management.
The Heat’s challenges may find some explanation in the absence of their top two scorers. Tyler Herro, sidelined with an ankle injury, missed his 15th consecutive game on Monday, while Bam Adebayo, dealing with a hip issue, has been absent from six of the past nine contests. Herro, averaging 22.9 points in the eight games he played, and Adebayo, with an average of 22.3 points, are significant contributors. The sole healthy member of Miami’s “Big Three” is Jimmy Butler, maintaining averages of 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 steals.
Miami has secured a 2-0 record against Charlotte this season; however, the Heat’s victories in those matchups have been by a slim average of four points. Meanwhile, the Hornets have struggled, going 2-4 since LaMelo Ball suffered an ankle injury on Nov. 26. Ball, leading the Hornets in both scoring (24.7) and assists (8.2), has been a crucial absence. Despite this setback, Hornets coach Steve Clifford, perhaps aiming to maintain optimism, noted that his team is showing resilience without their star player. He highlighted an improvement in their shot profile in recent games, emphasizing a better balance between scoring inside the paint and making 3-pointers. In Monday’s game, the Hornets demonstrated this shift by making 41.5 percent of their 3-point attempts (17 of 41). Miles Bridges, a key player for Charlotte, mentioned the team’s adjustment to Ball’s absence, emphasizing the need for more balanced scoring and an aggressive approach in every game. While Ball, the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2021 and an All-Star in 2022, has faced injury challenges, being limited to just 36 games last season due to an ankle fracture, the Hornets are adapting to the situation with a focus on collective effort.
With Ball sidelined, Rozier, currently in his fifth consecutive season averaging at least 18 points, has become Charlotte’s primary scoring option. Rozier boasts averages of 23.6 points and 7.7 assists, heading towards career highs in both categories. Despite Rozier’s individual success, the Hornets are grappling with persistent struggles as a franchise. They currently hold the NBA’s longest active playoff drought, stretching for seven seasons. Since Charlotte’s return to the NBA in the 2004-2005 season, they have yet to secure a playoff-series win. The team’s optimism for the future lies in the performance of rookie Brandon Miller, the NBA’s second overall pick in the recent draft. Miller is delivering promising stats, averaging 14.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, with an impressive 40.2 percent success rate on 3-pointers.
“He’s a big-time talent,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Miller. “He’s being coached and held accountable to the details of winning, and, for a young player, that’s the most important thing.
