Duncan Robinson had 23 points and Jimmy Butler had 15 points and a game-high 10 assists as the host Miami Heat defeated the Charlotte Hornets 115-104 on Wednesday night.
Kyle Lowry and Jaime Jaquez Jr. each added 17 points for Miami. Lowry didn’t miss a shot, as he went 5-for-5 from the floor, 4-for-4 from 3-point range and 3-for-3 from the foul line. Robinson made 6 of 9 3-pointers.
The Heat were able to sit Butler and Lowry for the entire fourth quarter, giving the duo some extra rest ahead of Miami’s game against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.
The Heat completed a two-game sweep of the Hornets after winning in Charlotte 116-114 on Monday.
Miami dominated the boards, outrebounding the Hornets 47-31. The Heat hauled in 17 offensive rebounds compared to just four by Charlotte.
Terry Rozier led the Hornets with a game-high 28 points, making 10 of 14 shots from the floor — including 5 of 6 3-pointers. Gordon Hayward added 20 points and a team-high-tying seven assists. Miles Bridges had 19 points, although he went just 1-for-8 from deep, and rookie Brandon Miller chipped in 18 points.
The Hornets have lost six of their past eight games.
On Wednesday, Charlotte led 23-22 after a first quarter in which Rozier had seven points and three steals.
Miami, which shot just 36.8 percent in the first quarter, got hot and shot 61.9 percent from the field in the second. The Heat finished the first half on a 13-0 run, taking a 56-45 lead into intermission.
Hayward led all first-half scorers with 16 points, while Robinson had 14 for Miami.
Miami continued its surge in the third quarter, getting 3-pointers from Lowry and Robinson to grab a 62-45 lead with 11:11 remaining. That made it a 19-0 burst bridging the halves, which ended when Rozier made a technical free throw with 11:01 to go.
Butler made a pair of free throws at the end of the third to send the Heat into the fourth up 91-70, and Miami cruised to the finish line.
–Field Level Media
