NBA: Heat pull away for double-OT win over Hornets
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat gestures to the crowd in the second half against the New York Knicks at FTX Arena on January 26, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images/AFP
Jimmy Butler hit a pair of jumpers in the final 66 seconds of the second overtime as the Miami Heat pulled out a 111-107 road victory against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night in the last game for each team prior to the All-Star break.
Kyle Lowry scored 25 points, Duncan Robinson tallied 21 points and P.J. Tucker, Bam Adebayo and Butler all had 15 points for the Heat. Omer Yurtseven added 10 points off the bench.
Article continues after this advertisementMiles Bridges racked up 29 points and Montrezl Harrell posted 24 points for the Hornets. Kelly Oubre Jr. and P.J. Washington both had 15 points and LaMelo Ball notched 14 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds for a triple-double.
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Miami was up 107-102 after Butler’s late baskets. Bridges countered with a 3 for the Hornets before Lowry’s lay-in at the 21.1-second mark.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Heat didn’t score for almost four minutes to begin the fourth quarter, allowing Charlotte to stretch its lead to 78-64 behind seven straight points from Harrell.
Miami came back from an 11-point hole with five minutes in regulation to play to go up 86-85 on a pair of Jimmy Butler with 1:57 remaining. Until Harrell’s tying dunk at the 24.6-second mark, Charlotte didn’t have a field goal since going up 84-77 with 3:50 to play.
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In the first overtime, Harrell made the first free throw but missed the second with 1.7 seconds left, forcing another overtime at 97-97.
Adebayo had 13 rebounds, and Tucker and Butler both pulled in 10 boards.
The biggest key for the Hornets might have been getting sustained defense, and that put Miami in a bind at times.
The Heat was up 37-30 at the end of the first quarter, shooting 75 percent from the floor. Bridges had 13 points for the Hornets through the first quarter.
Charlotte surged ahead in the quarter, when Miami was stuck with just four points for nearly the first 71/2 minutes of the quarter. The Hornets led 54-47 at the break, boosted by eight 3-pointers — and Oubre had four of those on the way 15 first-half points.
