NBA: Hornets get stung by the Heat, who make it three in a row at home!
Miami, Florida - The Miami Heat stayed perfect at home to remain unbeaten by holding off one of the East’s early contenders in the Charlotte Hornets.
The Heat beat the Hornets 114-99 to improve their record to 4-1 for their third-straight regular-season win, and a 3-0 mark on their home court.
On a night when their gold medal-winning center, Bam Adebayo (24), was honored with an Olympic banner to commemorate his part in Team USA’s victory at the Tokyo summer games, the Heat played a great game to celebrate.
The Hornets have been one of the better teams as the NBA season has been getting into an early groove, but the Heat didn’t seem to care once they gained their first lead midway through the first quarter.
Miami never looked back after that, controlling the game’s momentum and even enjoying a lead as big as 26 points thanks to some tough points in the paint, where they had a 54-40 advantage.
The Heat also dominated the boards, snatching 60 to Charlotte’s 37, taking away little chance of a comeback by the Hornets.
The player spotlight
Leading the way for the Heat was their All-Star forward, Jimmy Butler, who had another big game for Miami.
While it might have been the golden boy Adebayo’s night, Butler ended up outscoring him with some of his best shooting so far this season.
He also took part in his team’s perfect night at the free-throw line, a flawless 7-7 himself.
Butler finished the night 12-for-19, a game-high 32 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
The big picture
Going into Friday night’s game, the Heat had the league’s best defense, but the scoring spectacle against the NBA's best offense so far showed that this team has what it takes at both ends of the court.
The Heat were all over the boards during the game, but they did also commit 18 turnovers as a team, so it’s safe to say that things could have turned out another way had the Hornets not misfired badly.
On Saturday, the Heat are in Memphis to take on the Grizzlies while the Hornets are back at home on Sunday to take on the Trail Blazers.
Cover photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire