Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic came off the bench to combine for 22 points in the fourth quarter to boost Miami to a 93-75 victory against the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Sunday afternoon.
The game was not much to look at offensively through three quarters, but Wade stepped up in the final frame with 12 points and Dragic added 10 to help the Heat bolster their playoff position.
Wade's 3-pointer with 4:44 left capped an 8-0 run and Miami outscored Charlotte 32-15 in the fourth. The win kept the Heat in the No. 8 spot in the East, two games up on the Hornets with 13 games left for both clubs.
Dragic finished with a team-high 19 points and Wade added 17. Bam Adebayo had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Dion Waiters added 12 points for the Heat, who have won eight of their past 10 against Charlotte.
Jeremy Lamb scored a game-best 21, Frank Kaminsky had 13, Nicolas Batum added 12 and Tony Parker chipped in 11, while leading scorer Kemba Walker had just 10 for Charlotte, which is 2-5 in its last seven.
Miami had to contend with injuries to starting point guard Justise Winslow (out, right thigh bruise) and Wade (right hip bruise). Charlotte's 7-foot center Cody Zeller (left knee soreness) missed his third straight game.
The 168 combined points marked the lowest total in the NBA so far this season, per ESPN. Orlando and Chicago combined for 170 on Dec. 21.
The Hornets' previous low this season was 84 points (two times). Charlotte is 1-12 when scoring less than 100 points.
Charlotte shot a season-worst 31.3 percent from the field and just 19.4 percent (7 of 36) from 3-point distance. Miami shot 39.5 percent overall and 39.4 percent (13 of 33) from distance). The Heat posted a 55-44 advantage on the glass, including nine boards by Kelly Olynyk.
--Field Level Media
Charlotte | Miami | |
Jeremy Lamb 21 | Scoring | Goran Dragic 19 |
Kemba Walker 4 | Assists | Kelly Olynyk 6 |
Nicolas Batum 7 | Rebounds | Bam Adebayo 9 |
Frank Kaminsky 7 | Free Throws Made | Josh Richardson 3 |
Jeremy Lamb 3 | Steals | Bam Adebayo 2 |
Marvin Williams 3 | Blocks | Derrick Jones Jr. 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Charlotte | 75 | 31.3 | 7-36 | 16-18 | 11 | 44 | 5 | 6 | 13 |
Miami | 93 | 39.5 | 13-33 | 12-19 | 25 | 55 | 7 | 6 | 12 |