National Basketball Association

Charlotte Hornets Mount an Improbable Comeback to Defeat the Heat in Miami

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Charlotte Hornets came back from a 19 points deficit in the second half to steal a win in Miami against their divisional rivals.

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The Charlotte Hornets were able to mount an improbable comeback against the Miami Heat in their second game of the season. Charlotte improved to (2-0) on the young season while Miami dropped to (1-1) with their first home loss. A strong second half performance led the Queen City team to victory.

The 2-0 start is the Hornets first since 2007-08 and it is the first time they have gone undefeated on a season-opening road trip. Their success on the road to start the new season bodes well for the team going forward. While they were a great home team last year, the Hornets were only 18-23 away from home.

Charlotte was able to come back from a 19 point deficit in the second half. They stepped up their play as a whole and outscored Miami 51-34 in the third and fourth quarters. The team made a 48-19 run during that time.

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Kemba Walker led the Hornets with a game-high 24 points to go with four assists. Jeremy Lamb had a strong performance off of the bench with 16 points and eight rebounds. He led Charlotte’s second unit and was a game changer for the team.

Nicolas Batum and Marco Belinelli each chipped in 12 points but Nic added six rebounds and four assists to his stat line. Spencer Hawes almost had a double-double off of the bench with 10 points and nine rebounds. Cody Zeller rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points of his own.

Hassan Whiteside had his usual big game with a 20 point and 15 rebound double-double performance as he led Miami. Goran Dragic added 14 points and nine assists. Dion Waiters scored 13 points to go with his seven boards. Tyler Johnson (12) and Justise Winslow (10) were the only other players in double digits.

Frank Kaminsky missed this one with a right foot strain but Brian Roberts returned after missing the season opener with a hamstring injury. Roy Hibbert left the game in the first quarter after he was experiencing soreness in his right knee.

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With the many positives in this game, Hibbert’s injury was a big negative. Hopefully it isn’t serious and he can return to action soon.

The Charlotte Hornets got out to a great start in divisional play against their rivals in this one. These two teams will meet three more times this year with the next meeting coming on December 29th.

The Hornets will return to action on Saturday, October 30th against the Boston Celtics. It will be the team’s home opener as well as the second half of a back to back after this win over Miami. This is Charlotte’s first matchup with Boston this season but the Celtics won each of the two preseason games this year.

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