Miami's Big Third Quarter Spoils LaMelo Ball's Season Debut
MIAMI, FL - LaMelo Ball made his season debut on Saturday night but his return to the floor wasn't enough to end the Hornets' losing streak as the Miami Heat completed the mini two-game sweep against Charlotte with a 132-115 win. This marks the eighth straight loss for the Hornets.
Charlotte played a solid first half and actually took a 59-57 lead into the locker room. Kelly Oubre Jr. continued to shoot it well knocking down 6/7 shots (2/3 3FG), leading the Hornets with 15 points at the midway point.
The third quarter was the difference in the game. Miami could not miss connecting on their first 11 shots from the field. Every trip up the floor resulted in points until Bam Adebayo threw the ball out of bounds at the 5:26 mark. Roughly a minute later, Kyle Lowry missed a three which would put an end to the perfect quarter bid. The Heat scored 25 points in the first five minutes of the frame - the exact number of points Charlotte scored in the quarter.
Charlotte's biggest issue defensively was the inability to stop reaching and picking up bad fouls. This was something that head coach Steve Clifford has been upset with a few times this season, including Thursday's loss to Miami.
Adebayo was a matchup problem underneath, finishing the night with 23 points and 15 rebounds. He drew a ton of attention inside which created space for Miami's shooters to get easy looks. Max Strus (31 points) and Gabe Vincent (20 points) were a thorn in Charlotte's side all night.
As for Ball, it was a rusty outing, as expected. He shot 6/17 from the floor and 1/9 from three-point range, totaling 15 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two turnovers.
Charlotte will stay in the Sunshine State for a Monday night matchup with the Orlando Magic. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST and will be televised on Bally Sports.
BOX SCORE
CHA: 33-26-25-31-115
MIA: 34-23-45-30-132
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