Charlotte Hornets struggle down the stretch in preseason loss to the Miami Heat

Despite big games from Malik Monk and Dwight Howard, the Charlotte Hornets weren’t able to overcome a late push from the Miami Heat.

The Charlotte Hornets (1-2) were defeated by the Miami Heat (2-2) as the division rivals faced off. At times, this game felt more like a regular season game than a preseason affair. The Hornets played well for most of the game but couldn’t find late buckets when it mattered most.

Nicolas Batum, Julyan Stone, Marcus Paige and Michael Carter-Williams all sat out with injuries while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist missed the game due to personal reasons. Charlotte’s injury woes continue as Kemba Walker (face) and Jeremy Lamb (groin) each suffered minor ailments in this one and were forced to sit out in the second half. Both were questionable to return so it isn’t likely that they will miss much time.

Turning Point

Even though the Hornets held the lead for most of the second half, a late run from the Heat was too much for the young bench of Charlotte to overcome. Steve Clifford’s side was up 97-87 with 7:50 left in the game but the home team went on a 13-2 run to take the lead and ended the game on a 22-9 run. Miami outscored Charlotte 24-17 in the fourth quarter.

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Who Stepped Up

Malik Monk led the way for Charlotte as he scored a team-high 19 points to go along with four assists as he saw time at the point guard spot with the Hornets lack of backcourt depth. Fellow rookie Dwayne Bacon also had a strong performance as he scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The main issue for both rookies was their efficiency as they combined to shoot 33.3% (13-39) from the field and 14.2% (2-14) from three with Monk going 2-11.

Dwight Howard looked good in limited action with 16 points, six rebounds and four steals. T.J. Williams got his Hornets’ debut and managed to score four points in 18 minutes of action. Frank Kaminsky started in place of MKG but made little impact putting up only two points, three assists and one rebound in 18 minutes.

Miami was led by Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson as the two combined for 36 points. Kelly Olynyk (13 points, 12 rebounds) and Hassan Whiteside (11 points, 11 rebounds) each recorded a double-double in this one. Dion Waiters scored 14 points while James Johnson rounded out the Heat’s double-digit scorers with 13.

Play of the Game:

Tweet of the Game:

"Quick Stings"

• The Heat out-rebounded the Hornets 49-43.
• Miami was the lowest scoring team in the NBA during preseason so far only averaging 91 points per game but they managed to hang 109 on Charlotte’s poor defense.
• Despite forcing 20 turnovers, the Hornets were only able to score 14 points off turnovers and four fast break points.
• Charlotte struggled from deep as they only managed to shoot 19.2% (5-26) from the three-point line.
• The Heat also won the points in the paint battle, 48-46.

With the loss, Charlotte falls to 1-2 in the preseason while Miami improves to 2-2. Since both of these teams are in the same division, they will meet four times during the regular season.

Next: How Charlotte will move on without Nic Batum

In their next game, the Charlotte Hornets will return home to take on the Boston Celtics for the second time this preseason on Wednesday, October 11th. This will be a nationally televised game as it will be broadcasted on ESPN. Steve Clifford’s side will be looking to bounce back and get a confidence-boosting win against a side they already fell to earlier this preseason.