Hornets Defeat Heat 89-85 In Thrilling Game 4 Victory

Charlotte Hornets
Hornets guard Kemba Walker scored 34 points tonight in a thrilling 89-85 win over the Miami Heat (Photo: Charlotte Hornets).

In one of the strangest Playoff games you will ever see in the NBA, the Charlotte Hornets prevailed in a thrilling 89-85 back and fourth game.

Charlotte, led by Kemba Walker (34 points), continued pressing the Miami Heat until they eventually gave in and broke. Tradition started the first bucket with Luol Deng hitting a three. After the first quarter, Miami held a lead of 7 points.

Similarly to many other games for Miami this season (including Game 3), the Heat died out and succumbed to Charlotte’s pressure in the next quarter. Miami shot 3-19 (16%) from the field during the second period, leading the Hornets to take a 48-39 lead into halftime. Yes, a 16-point turnaround over the course of 12 minutes.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press explained Miami’s issues perfectly:

With Hassan Whiteside (right hip bruise), Udonis Haslem (torn plantar fascia), and Dwyane Wade (pure laziness) dealing with issues throughout the game, the Hornets took full advantage.

Hornets’ guard Jeremy Lin added 21 points off the bench, with this highlight shot attributed to Charlotte Owner Michael Jordan being amongst his top plays:

Kemba Walker was unstoppable, and he knew it very well. With Erik Spoelstra opting for Josh Richardson in the final period after benching Goran Dragic, Walker took full advantage of the 22-year old rookie:

For the Heat, turnovers ultimately ended their hopes of winning. The Heat lost the turnover battle 17 to 8, something that surely made a difference towards the final outcome in such a close game.

Luol Deng finally cooled off, finishing the night 4-14 from the field and 2-8 from behind the arc.

The Heat’s superstar, Dwyane Wade, simply looked uninterested during several sequences throughout the night. During two crucial defensive possessions for the Heat towards the end of the game, Wade was caught standing around ball watching. As a result, the Hornets sealed the deal with two offensive rebounds, which later lead to Courtney Lee draining free throws that extended Charlotte’s lead to four with five seconds left.

Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post summed it up:

If the Hornets’ earlier second quarter surge or Wade’s late collapse wasn’t surprising enough, what ensued after halftime will surely make you stop and think. The Heat, with little momentum on their side, rallied themselves and responded with a 17-1 run of their own.

Once again, Tim has it down with another award-worthy tweet:

The Heat were searching for more offense at this point, as the Hornets began climbing back. Spoelstra goes to the bench and subs the struggling Gerald Green into the game. Green (as everybody expected), nailed two big shots moments after checking in:

In the end, Charlotte’s consistent attack combined with its electric home atmosphere to produce a mountain simply too steep for the Miami Heat to climb. 

The Hornets will now travel to Miami for a Game 5 showdown on Wednesday night. With momentum on their side, Charlotte will be seeking its third straight win over Miami, hoping to steal one in American Airlines Arena and ultimately end the series in Game 6, which just so happens to be in Charlotte.

Game 4 Star Player: Kemba Walker (34 points and 3 steals in 40 minutes).

Charlotte Hornets
Game 4 MVP Kemba Walker contributed 34 points, nailing several big shots down the stretch of the Hornets’ crucial 89-85 win.

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