On a weekend where South Florida teams fell flat on their faces in fourth quarters, the Miami Heat rose to the challenge, coming back from an 8-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Charlotte Hornets 94-93 on Sunday. It was their first win entering the final period when trailing, as well as the Heat’s first 1-point win of the season. Miami held Charlotte to 40% shooting in the fourth, and forced a tough shot by Hornets guard Kemba Walker with time running out, while Al Jefferson missed a put-back attempt right before the buzzer. The win moves the Heat up to 8-6, while the Hornets fell to 4-10.
Jefferson led the Hornets with 22 points, while grabbing 12 rebounds, and Walker chipped in 16 points, as Charlotte had five players in double-figures.
The Heat got a combined 34 points from their point guards Mario Chalmers and Shabazz Napier, as they picked up the scoring punch from the backcourt, as Dwyane Wade missed sat out for the sixth straight game because of knee hamstring injury.
Things that pleased me: The injury to Norris Cole has given Napier the opportunity to make a case to winning the starting job, and he’s taken the ball and running with it. Napier scored 14 points, on 4 of 9 shooting, and went toe-to-toe with Walker down the stretch. He played Walker tough late in the game, stripping him on a drive to the basket and forcing a contested jumper by Walker with time expiring to help the Heat seal the win. Napier is averaging 13 points in the two games Cole has missed, although he’s only averaging 2 assists in that span, so he’s got to boost those numbers up if he wants to claim the job. But things are looking bright for the rookie.
Luol Deng, who had a rough start to the season, came to life against the Hornets, scoring a game high 26 points (10 for 14 shooting), while chipping in 8 rebounds. Deng did most of his damage in the first half, scoring 19 points and helping stake the Heat to a nine point lead at halftime. Wade’s absence has forced Deng to have to shoulder more of the load on offense, and that finally paid off on Sunday. With Wade probably out until next Sunday in New York, Deng is going to need to be aggressive in Tuesday’s game against Golden State.
After finding himself in a recent slump, Chris Bosh is back in a groove, scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds. He hit what turned out to be the game-winner with 31 seconds remaining in the game to give the Heat the lead. While he wasn’t efficient – 9 for 21 shooting – he still scored over 20 points for the third straight game.
Things that annoyed me: In what is becoming a pattern, the Heat hit a wall in the third quarter. Miami was only able to score 14 points in the quarter, as their nine point halftime lead disappeared and were going into the fourth down by five. The Heat shot 6 of 17 from the field in the quarter, and found themselves constantly setting for jumpers; Miami attempted only five shots in the paint. The Heat have shown to fall in love with shooting jumpers, even when they’re not falling. Wade’s absence hasn’t helped, as only Chalmers and Napier seem to be the only ones trying to take the ball to the basket with any consistency.
Things that perplexed me: Shannon Brown scored as many points as you did against the Hornets while playing 16 more minutes than you. I’m not going to go as far as to say you could have scored more if you got his minutes, but we can’t deny it either. And as much as I’ve championed the increase in opportunities for James Ennis, he was barely an upgrade (2 points in 17 minutes). With Wade and Cole out, Chalmers starts at point guard, leaving a hole at shooting guard – starting or off the bench. Ennis has shown potential, but consistency has been an issue. Coach Erik Spoelstra has to find a way to get production out of that position, as Wade will miss his share of games as the season progresses.
Scale of 1 to 10, how bad did I want to throw a lamp because of Mario Chalmers?: 1. To think that You Know Who actually thought Kyrie Irving was better than Mario Chalmers. And he calls himself a student of the game *shakes head*.
Chalmers had a double-double, as he went for 20 points and 10 assists. He was particularly aggressive in the fourth quarter, as he was able to draw fouls late, and cashed in by going 9 for 10 from the free throw line. He had 12 points in the quarter to help in the rally. He’s averaging a career high in points per game (14.6) and is thriving in the Heat’s post-You Know Who world.
What we’ve learned: The Heat fought hard when it mattered, clawing their way back from down eight with less than seven minutes left in the game. Chalmers performance late, drawing foul calls and make it count at the line, while Bosh hitting big shots helped finish the comeback. Also, the rise of Napier continues, as he shows he loves playing when it’s time to move the chips to the center of the table.
The Heat look to extend their win streak to three, when they host the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.