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The Miami Heat defeated the Charlotte Hornets last night 111-105, as part of the NBA In-Season Tournament play.
Leading Scorers
Jimmy Butler led the way for Miami with a season-high 32 points in 34 minutes. Butler shot 10-14 from the field, which included a fallaway jumper with 1:11 left in the game to seal the win. Bam Adebayo added 21 points and 11 rebounds. Duncan Robinson chipped in 18 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 17 off the bench.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1724626975535374409
P.J. Washington topped all scorers for Charlotte with 32 points, connecting on six three-pointers. LaMelo Ball was right behind with 28 points while also adding 11 assists. After a slower start to the year, Ball has picked up his scoring, averaging 30 points over the last five games.
https://twitter.com/hornets/status/1724613252439491005
The Hornets were extremally shorthanded, which the Heat took advantage of. They were missing key starters Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier, as well as rookie Brandon Miller. Miles Bridges served the final game of his league imposed 10 game suspension.
Heat are Hot
After a struggling start, the Heat have turned it around to win six straight, including a four-game road trip. Miami has averaged 113.8 points per game on this win streak, compared to just 102.4 during their rough 1-4 start to the season. Scoring more points makes it easier to win, at least if you ask Jimmy Butler.
Q: "What do think has been the reason for 6-game win streak?"
A: "We've been scoring more points than the other team."
Jimmy Butler was on top of his game on the court tonight, and he's clearly on top of his game during the postgame presser as well@MiamiHEAT | #HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/HextLTIB5N
— Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) November 15, 2023
Head coach Erik Spoelstra stated, “We talked at the start of this trip that this month would be an opportunity for us to be able to galvanize around a tough schedule and see if we can become better.” Obviously the heat have done just that, currently sitting at 7-4 on the year and third place in the Eastern Conference.
What’s Next?
Miami returns home for a short stunt to host the Brooklyn Nets tomorrow night at 7:30. Not to get comfortable however, as they then hit the road again for a five game road trip, facing all Eastern Conference opponents.
Charlotte faces the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night for another game of the In-season tournament. The Hornets play the next few games at home, hoping to get their key players healthy and add to the win column.
