The Miami Heat will be looking to bounce back from disappointment as they head to North Carolina to take on the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.
The Heat suffered a close 106-103 loss at home to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, thwarting their attempt to secure a three-game winning streak for the first time this season and leaving them nearly out of the race for the NBA Cup. Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier had opportunities to clinch or tie the game in the final moments but couldn’t capitalize.
Miami’s point total on Tuesday night was their third lowest of the season. Jimmy Butler led the team with 23 points, nearly half of which came from his 11 free throws. Despite the absence of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a knee injury, the Heat couldn’t pull off the win.
Meanwhile, the Hornets are also dealing with frustrations, having lost four of their last five games.
LaMelo Ball has been outstanding, scoring 50 and 44 points in his past two games, but Charlotte lost both contests. Ball accounted for more than half of the Hornets’ points in their 95-84 home loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday.
The Hornets’ 27 turnovers against Orlando put them in difficult positions. With several key post players injured, the Hornets have been struggling offensively and are heavily relying on Ball and Brandon Miller for scoring, a strategy that could benefit them in the long run.
Terry Rozier, a former Hornets guard, will return to Charlotte with the Heat. He scored 17 points off the bench against Milwaukee on Tuesday night.
This will be Miami’s second visit to Charlotte this season; they previously won 114-106 on October 26, with Butler scoring 26 points and dishing out eight assists. In that game, Ball scored 27 points, though Miller was sidelined with a hip injury, and the Hornets committed 20 turnovers.
