Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 32 points and Bam Adebayo added 26 points and a game-high 19 rebounds, leading the host Miami Heat (4-1) to a 114-99 (33-22, 31-24, 20-29, 30-24) win over the Charlotte Hornets (4-2) on Friday night.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
37
|
| Bam Adebayo | |
| Points | 26 |
| Accuracy | 10-16 |
| Rebounds | 19 |
| Assists | 2 |
Miami, which won its third straight game and improved to 3-0 at home, also got 10 rebounds and five assists from Butler. The Heat's Tyler Herro scored 26 points off the bench and tied a game-high with six assists.
The Heat, who entered the game as the top-ranked defensive team in the NBA, shut down the No. 1 offensive unit in the league. The Hornets started the day averaging 121.2 points.
Charlotte got 23 points from Gordon Hayward and 22 from Miles Bridges.
The Hornets, though, were without guard Terry Rozier, who led the team in scoring last season (20.4 points). He has missed four straight games due to a sprained left ankle.
However, Hornets forward P.J. Washington returned to action after missing two games with a sprained right knee. He finished with nine points in 22 minutes off the bench.
The Hornets' LaMelo Ball, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, had six assists but was held to six points on a 2-for-14 shooting. Ball entered the game averaging 19.6 points per game.
Charlotte led by as many as five points early, but the Heat closed the first quarter with a 33-22 lead, and that included Herro's running 3-pointer that banked in at the buzzer.
In the second quarter, Miami increased its lead to 26 points and was up 64-46 at halftime. It was the fewest points by Charlotte in any half this season.
In the third quarter, Charlotte cut its deficit to 84-75, which was as close as the Hornets had come to Miami since the first period. Charlotte outrebounded Miami 13-11 in the third quarter.
The Hornets cut their gap to 88-82 with 8:58 left in the fourth, but Miami pulled away.
For the game, Miami outrebounded Charlotte 60-37. Miami shot 47.3 percent, and Charlotte shot 38.9 percent.
Heat: Jimmy Butler 32 (10 REB, 5 AST), Bam Adebayo 26 (19 REB), Tyler Herro 26 (5 REB, 6 AST), Duncan Robinson.
Hornets: Gordon Hayward 23 (6 REB, 4 AST), Miles Bridges 22 (8 REB), Kelly Oubre Jr. 17, Cody Martin 15.
Jimmy Butler performance
Full game highlights
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