Andrew Wiggins dropped 42 points to bury the Charlotte Hornets.
The Summary
The Hornets were bad out of the gate but found their footing after the first timeout. They went on a 13-0 run that included a Tidjane Salaün steal and dump off to Mark Williams plus a small handful of Nick Smith Jr. threes. That helped them to a six point lead after one.
The visitors built on their lead in the early part of the second quarter and forced an apoplectic Erik Spoelstra to take a timeout. Whatever he said seemed to get his team going. The Hornets only scored six points over the last nine minutes of the half while the Heat furiously piled on to take a 10 point lead into the break.
NSJ finally helped the Hornets score again with a floater about 90 seconds into the second half. The teams traded punches for several minutes, but the Hornets eventually fell off while the Heat, and more specifically Andrew Wiggins, kept landing haymakers. The Heat built their lead to 20, and that’s about where it sat by quarter’s end.
The Heat have been notoriously bad in fourth quarters this season, so even a 20 point deficit didn’t feel entirely insurmountable. It would require the Hornets to make a quick run, but they could never find it. They made a mild threat in the middle of the quarter, but they never got closer than within 13, and Andrew Wiggins hit a couple of run killers to quash any Hornets’ hopes.
The Good
Nick Smith Jr. had a very good shooting night. His strong start made the Hornets competitive for a little bit. He’s shot a good ball the last week or so.
Tidjane Salaün was mostly quiet during his 25 minutes but had a few impressive moments. That’s probably what the Hornets have been looking for all season. He did a good job playing within himself and makes some nice plays when he’s not panicking with the ball.
Mark Williams was pretty good. He’s been playing with a bit more urgency defensively lately, which has been badly needed.
Seth Curry is so good offensively. I hope he sticks around beyond this season. He’s still chasing the league 3-point crown.
The Bad
Rough night at the office for LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. Bridges couldn’t make a three to save his life and turned the ball over four times. LaMelo had another one of those high attempt, and low make nights that have become way too common lately. Both contributed outside of their scoring, but the Hornets need their scoring.
The Weird
The Heat had lost 10 straight games and were choking away leads all throughout the losing streak. Jaime Jaquez Jr. has had his minutes drastically reduced and Terry Rozier is completely out of the rotation. What a change from a year ago.
What’s Next
The Hornets make a quick trip home to host the Magic before hitting the road again.