The Charlotte Hornets have come out of nowhere to emerge as one of the season’s glaring playoff threats. While they may only be 10th in the East, they’ve been on fire in the second half of the season, and tonight’s 30-point win over the Heat (136-106) was just the continuation of that encouraging trend.
In a night where multiple Hornets hit double figures, LaMelo Ball led the way with 30 points, six rebounds, 13 assists, one steal, and zero blocks on 50.0% shooting and 33.3% shooting from three. Kon Knueppel dropped 22 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block on 57.1% shooting and 33.3% shotoing from three. Off the bench, Coby White delivered 24 points, three rebounds, three assists, zero steals, and zero blocks on 53.3% shooting and 33.3% shooting from three.
For the Heat, who were without Bam Adebayo tonight, scoring was a chore all night long. Tyler Herro led his team with 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, and zero blocks on 45.5% shooting and 50.0% shooting from three. Meanwhile, Norman Powell finished with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, zero steals, and one block on 41.2% shooting and 25.0% shooting from three.
Ultimately, many factors played a role in the final score, but some reasons stick out more than others. For both the Hornets and Heat (who met earlier this month), this was a game where lessons were learned, and it will be interesting to see how they respond going forward.
Miraculous Fourth Quarter Run
The two teams were trading blows for the first half, going back and forth for a good while. The game wasn’t really decided until the fourth quarter, when Charlotte went off for 40 of their 136 points. That’s when the Hornets went on their run and blew the whole game open. In the end, that 40-18 scoring period completely flipped the script, setting the Hornets up with a big lead that they never let go.
By the time the Heat found a rhythm of their own, the score was already well out of hand. Without Bam Adebayo to help stabilize the offense and provide a key interior presence, Miami was exposed and struggled to generate consistent points. Overall, they only scored 18 points in that final frame, evidence of a team that was giving everything they had just to keep up against a superior opponent.
LaMelo Magic
Critics have been harsh on LaMelo’s game and even harsher on his leadership, but he showed no cracks today. In arguably one of his most complete performances of the season, Ball dropped 30 points, six rebounds, 13 assists, one steal, and zero blocks on on 50.0% shooting and 33.3% shooting from three. He gave the Hornets a bucket whenever they needed, getting to his spots with ease and scoring with a ruthless efficiency.
His confidence rubbed off on the whole team, who shot a combined 53.1% shooting on the court. LaMelo was scoring in all kinds of ways, but the most impressive part is the playmaking. He was operating like an elite floor general today, setting up teammates and initiating the offense to ensure a steady and consistent source of scoring.
Major Shooting Discrepancy
In the modern NBA, shooting is everything, and this game was the perfect case study for this trend. Despite struggling all game, the Heat continued to launch it from distance, shooting 7-36 (19.4%) from three. Without Bam Adebayo, they just didn’t have enough scoring to keep up with the Hornets, who ran away with the game in the final 12 minutes.
As a team, the Hornets went 17-42 from three (40.5%) with contributions from across the roster. Besides LaMelo, Charlotte got key floor spacing from Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, Brandon Miller, Coby White, and Grant Williams. With practically everyone lighting it up from three, it’s no surprise that the Hornets were able to pull away down the stretch. They have a lot of weapons right now, and the Heat just aren’t equipped to deal with that as presently constructed.
