Postgame Grades: Miami Heat blow big lead, drop game to Charlotte Hornets
By Frank Urbina
The Miami Heat got off to a fast start, but ended up blowing a 19-point second half lead, and lost to the Charlotte Hornets in their first home game of the season.
170. Final. 91. 110. 97
Things looked great for the Miami Heat early. They were hitting threes, distributing the ball nicely, and attacking the paint. However, after Hassan Whiteside got whistled for his fourth foul with 7:40 left in the third quarter, things quickly fell apart. In the end, Charlotte went on an obscene 48-19 run and the Heat, who were up by as many as 19 points, found themselves down 10. Despite a late run powered by Whiteside, the deficit proved to be too great, and the Heat fell to 1-1 on the season.
The Heat dominated most of the first half, going into half time up 57-46. They held Charlotte to 32% shooting, and only 3 three-pointers. In particular, the Heat did a great job of limiting Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker, who shot a paltry 4/16 in the opening two periods.
After Hassan Whiteside quickly got called for two fouls in the third quarter, the game completely changed for Charlotte. Whiteside being forced to sit allowed Charlotte a lot more space on offense, and they were able to attack the rim, draw fouls, and kick it to open shooters.
Walker finished the game with 24 points and 4 assists, while Batum finished with 12 points, 6 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals.
Another bad sign for Miami was the fact that Charlotte’s bench outscored their own 51-28 for the game. In particular, Jeremy Lamb was a silent star for the Hornets, scoring 16 points and taking over in the second half.
Whiteside sitting didn’t only help Charlotte offensively, but it helped their elite defense put the clamps on Miami. Charlotte was able to pack the paint and force Miami to shoot three-pointers all night, and although the Heat made 14 of them, it took them 34 attempts.
At this point, Miami is simply a better team when they can get into the paint and not be forced to settle for deep jumpers. Miami’s offense definitely missed the spacing that would have been provided by Josh Richardson and Wayne Ellington, who are both still nursing injuries but could be back soon. Miami’s offense simply crumbled without Whiteside’s ability to force the defense to react to him and dedicate extra defenders to slowing him down.
Here’s how the Heat graded out for the game:
GORAN DRAGIC. B -. Goran Dragic was aggressive most of the night, but Charlotte’s defense was able to greatly limit his effectiveness. He finished with 9 assists but had 4 costly turnovers. Dragic simply struggled to find the space to operate without Whiteside in the game to suck in defenders. Miami wasn’t able to get out in transition much either, which is a big factor in Goran’s game. The more he can run, the better he usually plays. For the night, Dragic scored 14 points but shot 4/12 from the field. It was just not an efficient night for the Heat’s PG.. PG. Miami Heat
B +. If not for foul trouble forcing him to only play 26 minutes, it would have been a huge night for Miami’s star center. Hassan still finished the night with 20 points on 11 shot attempts, 15 rebounds and 2 blocks. Once Miami went down 10 late in the fourth quarter, they were able to cut the lead to three thanks to Whiteside blocking multiple shots, drawing fouls, and dunking all over the Hornets. The final score would probably be different had Hassan been able to play his usual minutes, and he is simply too important to pick up cheap fouls. The Heat as a team are going to go as far as Whiteside takes them.. C. Miami Heat. HASSAN WHITESIDE
C -. Winslow really struggled tonight, which probably should have been expected considering the opponent. Not only do the Hornets boast one of the league’s best defenses, they also have Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, one of the game’s premiere defenders. It proved too much for Miami’s 20-year old SF, who finished the night with 10 points on an abysmal 4/14 shooting. He also had four turnovers. Winslow did have 5 assists, proving that he could one day blossom into a legitimate play-maker for this team. However, far too often, Justise settled for three-pointers, making only 1/6. He didn’t have much luck when attacking the rim either, with Charlotte’s length forcing him into tough layups. Even short layups that Winslow usually hits were rolling off the rim harmlessly. It was just not a great night for the kid, and these bumps are to be expected. Winslow is learning on the job. On some nights he will look like a future star, and on other nights, he will struggle.. SF. Miami Heat. JUSTISE WINSLOW
Miami Heat. DION WAITERS. C +. Dion Waiters did his best to attack Charlotte’s defense, especially when Miami’s offense bogged down, but he simply struggled to make anything positive happen. Waiters finished with 13 points, but he shot 5/16 from the field. He also had 3 turnovers. None of Miami’s guards were effective in getting to the rim without Whiteside in the game. Nonetheless, I thought Waiters showed great effort, both offensively and defensively. Also, Waiters was able to hit 3 three-pointers, and if he can continue to shoot the ball well from the outside, it could really open things up for the whole starting unit.. SG
C. Despite how well Miami played in the first half, Tyler Johnson was the lone sore spot. He shot 1/4 from the field, and his plus-minus was a -4 , compared to Goran Dragic’s +13. The offense struggled without Dragic handling the ball and getting guys in the right position. Like Winslow, these sorts of nights are going to happen to TJ, who is still learning to play point guard. For the game, Johnson finished with 12 points, 2 threes and 6 rebounds, but managed 0 assists, and was a team-worst -18. That can’t happen to Miami’s backup PG. He had his moments, but overall it was an inconsistent game from Johnson.. PG. Miami Heat. TYLER JOHNSON
F. It was a horrible night for James Johnson. Tonight’s game was especially discouraging to witness because he played so well in the first game against Orlando. Zero points, 0/6 shooting, 1 assist. It is a game that Johnson is going to want to forget. This could open the door for Derrick Williams, who somewhat inexplicably has played zero minutes so far this season.. PF. Miami Heat. JAMES JOHNSON
Miami’s road does not get any easier, as they host the undefeated San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, at 6:00 PM.