Miami Heat move to #6 in eastern Conference after beating Charlotte Hornets 121-111

Miami Heat move to #6 in eastern Conference after beating Charlotte Hornets 121-111

Kendrick Nunn and Bam Adebayo

The core of Miami Heat helps them climb onto the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference after a crucial victory over Charlotte Hornets. Bam Adebayo led the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Jimmy Butler added 18 points and Kendrick Nunn knocked 19 points. While Goran Dragic came off the bench to score 18. 

That’s significant because the team that finishes in sixth automatically qualifies for the playoffs, while the teams that finish in seventh through 10th place must earn their way into the postseason via the play-in tournament. 

Miami Heat enter EC playoff spot after win over Charlotte Hornets 

P.J. Washington had 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting for the Charlotte Hornets (31-33), while rookie LaMelo Ball finished with 14 points, 6rebounds and 5 assists in his second game back from a broken wrist. 

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The Hornets were hoping to pull within 1 1/2 games of the Miami Heat for seventh place in what Miles Bridges had called a statement game, but they never could get on track and failed to match Miami’s intensity. 

Malik Monk averaged 34 points in Charlotte’s previous two wins against Miami this season, but he was a nonfactor in his second game back from an ankle injury, limited to 11 points. 

Jimmy Butler began to take over in the third quarter, getting past Bridges for a two-handed dunk on a three-point play to give the Heat a 93-78 lead. Dragic added a layup to push Miami’s lead to 20 entering the fourth quarter and it clearly deflated the Hornets. Nunn’s 3-pointer gave Miami a 25-point lead early in the fourth quarter and a short while later, both coaches began emptying the benches. 

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