NBA: Heat beat Hornets for sixth win in a row

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler drives to the basket past Charlotte Hornets guard Theo Maledon during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Jimmy Butler scored a season-high 32 points, Bam Adebayo had 21 points and 11 rebounds and the Miami Heat remained unbeaten in NBA In-Season Tournament play with a 111-105 victory over the shorthanded Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night.

Duncan Robinson added 18 points for the Heat, who’ve won six straight overall.

Miami is 2-0 in group play; the Hornets are 1-1.

P.J. Washington had 32 points and six of Charlotte’s season-high 15 3-pointers. LaMelo Ball added 28 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.

The Heat finished off a 4-0 road trip that included wins against San Antonio, Atlanta and Memphis.

Jimmy Butler took over down the stretch to improve the Heat to 2-0 in East Group B 🔥

32 PTS
5 AST
71% FG

The @MiamiHEAT third NBA In-Season Tournament game is Friday, 11/24 vs. NYK on ESPN 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Yvjs6kAd6i

— NBA (@NBA) November 15, 2023

The Hornets played without six players due to injury, including starters Gordon Hayward (hamstring) and Terry Rozier (groin), top draft pick Brandon Miller (ankle) and Cody Martin (knee). That meant Theo Maledon and JT Thor were forced into starting roles.

Miles Bridges also remained out, serving the final game of his 10-game league-imposed suspension for his role in a domestic violence incident in 2022.

The Hornets jumped out to a 32-24 lead after a strong first quarter from Washington, who connected on all four 3-point attempts for 12 points, and for a while it looked like it might be their night.

But Miami took advantage of Charlotte’s thin depth in the second quarter and built a 57-48 lead at the break after Butler banked in an off-balance buzzer-beater from halfcourt in traffic to close out the half.

When the Heat needed a basket, Butler or Adebayo had the answer.

Still, Charlotte would rally to cut the Miami lead to 95-90 with eight minutes left after Ball lobbed a pass Nick Richards for a one-handed dunk and Washington took advantage of a Heat turnover with a transition 3 from the corner.

But the Hornets would get no closer than four.

Butler, who finished 10 of 14 from the field, hit a key fallaway jumper to beat the shot clock with 1:11 left to put the Heat up by seven and essentially seal the win. The Heat won despite shooting 25.8% (8 of 31) from beyond the arc compared to Charlotte’s 46.9% (15 of 32).

UP NEXT

Heat: Host Brooklyn on Thursday night.

Hornets: Host Milwaukee on Friday night in another In-Season Tournament game.