Miami closed the first half shooting 74.4% from the field and finished the game at 57.9%.
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Whiteside added 13 rebounds and two blocks, and Goran Dragic pitched in with 18 points while Josh Richardson scored 15.
Charlotte is now riding a 12-game playoff losing streak and are in danger of tying the New York Knicks (13 straight losses) for the most postseason games played without a victory in National Basketball Association history. Charlotte only allowed two 40+ point quarters throughout the entire regular season; however, they gave up two 40+ point quarters in the first six quarters of this playoff series.
Along with the difficulties the Hornets are experiencing, they received bad news as forward Nicolas Batum is likely out for the series after spraining his ankle in Game 2.
There was nothing easy about their first two wins and the Cavs, favored to win the Eastern Conference and return to the NBA Finals, will have their work cut out when the best-of-seven series resumes Friday night at Detroit.
Batum rolled his foot with 10:43 left in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s 115-103 loss at AmericanAirlines Arena, immediately taken to the locker room.
After the game, Hornets coach Steve Clifford said the team is “very concerned” about the injury, per the Miami Herald.
It may look like the Hornets are not playing defense but they actually are.
Hornets center Al Jefferson, who has dealt with his fair share of injuries throughout his career, reiterated Clifford’s concern.
Batum 3-11 3-3 9, Williams 0-10 0-2 0, Zeller 3-6 2-3 8, Walker 12-29 4-4 29, Lee 5-7 2-3 12, Jefferson 12-17 1-2 25, Lin 2-7 7-8 11, Kaminsky 0-1 4-4 4, Hawes 1-1 3-4 5. Since 2008, only two of 55 teams have come back from a 2-0 deficit to advance.
J.J. Redick scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half for Los Angeles, while Blake Griffin added 12 points and nine rebounds. “We’ve got a lot of things that we can get better at – that we need to get better at”. The HEAT displayed a balanced scoring attack in the game, as five players scored in double figures with Dwyane Wade leading the charge with 28 points.
The last time Charlotte’s National Basketball Association team won a playoff game, it was the original version of the Hornets.
“Despite the fact that we didn’t make threes, our offense is more than good enough to win”, he said after the second game.
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All three teams went up 2-0 in their first playoff series, meaning they are halfway to the second round, and potentially sweeps. Batum shot 34.8% from three and started all 70 of the games he played in.
