Miami Heat

Heat Check: Miami doesn't fold late in crucial home victory

Published Apr. 7, 2015 10:38 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

MIAMI -- In a game rich with playoff implications for both teams, the Miami Heat took care of business with a tight 105-100 victory against the Charlotte Hornets at AmericanAirlines Arena on Tuesday night to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The game was played evenly through the first half, with neither team able to hold on to a substantial lead. There were 10 lead changes and 11 ties by halftime. Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng were aggressive early on offense, but Gerald Henderson, who had 14 points in the first half, led a balanced Hornets attack to keep pace.

The Heat opened up their first double-digit lead of the night three minutes into the second quarter with a driving dunk by Udonis Haslem after a Hornets turnover. Charlotte battled back by responding with six straight points minutes later to retake the lead at 46-45.

Charlotte opened the third quarter by scoring the first six points, but the Heat took their second double-digit lead of the night with 16 consecutive points in a five-minute span. Boosted by strong performances from James Ennis, Chris Andersen and Tyler Johnson off the bench, Miami held on to a double-digit lead until the closing minutes of the game.

As has been the case recently, the lead wasn't safe in crunch time, and the Hornets were able to cut the deficit down to three points on two separate occasions. This time around, however, the Heat made enough plays to hold on in the closing moments of the game.

"Whatever minutes you can give to this team, they all mattered tonight to get this win and it was just by a hair," said head coach Erik Spoelstra.

In a change of pace, the Heat were relatively healthy, with Michael Beasley the only active player unable to participate because of illness. In contrast, the Hornets where without their starting frontcourt of Al Jefferson, Cody Zeller and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

The victory moved the Heat a half-game ahead of the idle Indiana Pacers for the ninth spot in the East and half-game shy of the eighth spot.

"For us, it is already the playoffs," said Goran Dragic, who led the team with 28 points, the most since joining the Heat in February. "We tried to come back home and try to get a win. It was an important game, especially because Charlotte is right behind us and can catch us. I'm glad we came out strong and played well."

THE TURNING POINT

Miami's 16-0 burst during the third quarter helped take control of the game with Wade, Deng and Haslem scoring all of the points in the decisive run.

THE DIFFERENCE MAKER

MIami's starting five were the driving force for the victory, scoring all but 17 points.

STAT OF THE GAME

Wade and Deng combined for 16 of Miami's first 20 points, with the duo joining forces with fellow starter Dragic to score 35 of the team's first 48.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Heat host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday at 8 p.m.

You can follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA or email him at SuryaFoxSports@gmail.com.

share

Get more from Miami Heat Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Miami Heat