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The Miami Heat played their last game for the time being, because of the NBA suspending the season due to the growing concern surrounding the coronavirus issue, losing to the Charlotte Hornets 109 to 98. To say the least, Miami dropped the ball on its home court, losing only their fifth home game of the season.
Early Blow-Out Lead Implodes
By the end of the first quarter, Miami earned a 40-22 lead over Charlotte. Derrick Jones Jr. had an above-average performance for an entire game by the end of the first quarter, putting up 16 points for the Heat.
The Heat played such a clean first quarter that the NBA’s twitter account even made note of it.
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1237893905552510977
According to the ESPN, at the start of the second quarter, the Heat had a 97.7 percent chance to win. By the half, the odds had flipped in favor of the Hornets. They now had a 53.6 percent chance to win. They outscored the Heat 37-11 in the second quarter to lead 59-51 at the half.
The Hornets played a tight defense around the arc and kept nailing 3’s. Charlotte score eight 3 point shots in the quarter, including four by point guard Devonte’ Graham. He would finish the night with 30 points for the Hornets.
As the second half progressed, the Heat watched Charlotte pull away. The Hornets outscored the Heat in the third and fourth quarters to pick up the win in Miami.
The Heat originally had a chance to redeem themselves on March 13 during a home game against the New York Knicks. However, later in the evening, the NBA suspended the season over Coronavirus concerns. The Warriors game was already scheduled to be played in an empty arena prior to the suspension postponing that game as well.
