In a must win game for both the Heat and Hornets, Charlotte prevailed in a stunning 90-88 victory from American Airlines Arena in Game 5.
Led by, well, nobody in particular, the Charlotte Hornets stayed together as a collective unit and pulled out a massive victory Wednesday night. Marvin Williams finished with 17, Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson both tallied 14, and Charlotte’s bench outscored Miami’s 29-13.
The Hornets revisited a certain strength this game, and it paid dividends. After struggling from the three point line for much of the series, Charlotte finished 12-24 from deep in tonight’s contest. In contrast, the Heat finished 5-18 from behind the arc on the night.
Hornets forward Nicolas Batum, previously expected to be out for the rest of the series, made his return in tonight’s game. Batum finished with 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and buried a pair of three pointers down the stretch for the Hornets.
For the Heat, Luol Deng continued his aggressive style of play. While his shooting (4-12) was once again sub-par, his defensive energy and tenacity wound him up as one of three Heat players to finish with a positive +/- rating on the night.
LUOL DENG. BIG SLAM!#HeatNation #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/jgxxHB74ay
— NBA On Def Pen (@NBAOnDefPen) April 28, 2016
With momentum on the Heat’s side, Dwyane Wade followed this up with a highlight dunk of his own moments later:
DWYANE WADE!
Father Prime turning back the clock!#HeatNation#NBAPlayoffspic.twitter.com/x1ejHJjcCn
— NBA On Def Pen (@NBAOnDefPen) April 28, 2016
In the end, it was a Game 4 flashback for the Miami Heat. In the game’s waning moments, Charlotte secured a huge offensive rebound, ultimately leading to a game winning shot from Courtney Lee:
Doesn’t matter.
Courtney Lee got his revenge. Sinks the clutch 3!#HEATvHORNETS#NBAPlayoffspic.twitter.com/QEoQ8wErvL
— NBA On Def Pen (@NBAOnDefPen) April 28, 2016
On the game’s final play, Dwyane Wade took a strong drive to the basket – No call. Fans, coaches, custodians, vendors, and of course, Dwyane Wade himself were absolutely livid.
You decide. Did Dwyane Wade get fouled on the final possession? ESPN’s Skip Bayless confidently chimed in:
How did DWADE not get that call on reputation and legacy – in Miami!? No matter his name or rep, he WAS fouled.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 28, 2016
Regardless, the Heat must play with intensity at the beginning of the game to insure a victory, rather than decide to turn it on when it becomes too late. The Heat played with fire this game, eventually allowing the resilient Hornets club to steal the biggest game of the season in the Heat’s house.
The Miami Heat will travel to Charlotte for a Friday night win or go home Game 6 dogfight with the Hornets. Should the Heat prevail, they’d take a 3-3 series back to American Airlines Arena. Should Charlotte win, the Hornets will move on and play the winner of the Raptors/Pacers series in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Game 5 Star Player: Absolutely nobody. The Hornets received valuable contributions from every single player in tonight’s impressive TEAM victory on the road.
