Brandon Miller Scores 34 as Hornets Rebound to Hand Winless Heat Another Loss
Charlotte answered a lopsided home-opener defeat with a 115-110 victory over Miami, leaving the Heat at 0-3 despite a late rally.
By Miguel Hernandez ·
Brandon Miller scored 34 points on Saturday night as the Charlotte Hornets held off the winless Miami Heat 115-110, recovering from one of the most lopsided losses in franchise history the night before.
Charlotte fell 128-81 to Atlanta in its home opener on Friday, the fifth-largest defeat the team has ever suffered. Miller struggled badly in that game, missing 12 of 14 shots from the field and 10 of 11 attempts from 3-point range while finishing with six points. The performance came four days after he signed a five-year, $209 million contract extension.
He had a very different night against Miami. Dennis Schroder added 25 points, Naz Reid scored 23 and Grayson Allen put up 20 as the Hornets improved to 2-1.
The shooting turnaround was stark. After going 11 of 51 from beyond the arc against Atlanta, Charlotte hit 16 of 43 on Saturday. Five of those 3-pointers fueled a 24-7 run in the third quarter that gave the Hornets control, much to the delight of a sellout crowd of 19,611 at Spectrum Center. A 68-63 lead with 10 1/2 minutes left in the period grew to 92-70 with 2:55 remaining in the quarter.
Miami did not go away. With Giannis Antetokounmpo in foul trouble, coach Erik Spoelstra turned to a lineup of starters Davion Mitchell and Bam Adebayo along with reserves Pelie Larsson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bobby Portis Jr. That group sparked a comeback that tied the game at 100, 102 and 104.
Allen then swung the momentum back to the Hornets for good. After the final tie with 3:46 left, he hit an acrobatic 3-pointer from the left wing as the 24-second shot clock expired, drawing a foul from Hardaway. His free throw completed the four-point play and made it 108-104. Miami never got closer than three points the rest of the way.
Antetokounmpo was held to 14 points, well below the 35.5 per game he had averaged in his first two outings since being traded from the Milwaukee Bucks, one of the biggest transactions of the NBA offseason. He fouled out with 1:57 to play.
Mitchell led Miami with 22 points. Adebayo scored 20, Larsson had 15 and Klay Thompson added 14.
The matchup was the teams' first meeting since Charlotte beat Miami 127-126 in overtime in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, ending the Heat's 2025-26 season. LaMelo Ball, who hit the game-winning shot in that game, was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the offseason.
Both teams are back in action Monday. Miami hosts Dallas, while Charlotte hosts Washington.
Source: WSVN 7News
