The Hornets really needed to make a stand in this series and they did that in Game 3, but the Heat are an experienced playoff team and I expect them to bounce back in a tightly contested game tonight.
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“I had the chance to think about it all day”, Kaminsky said. Whiteside scored 13 points to go along with 18 rebounds and four blocks. The win reduced the Heat’s lead in the series to 2-1.
The Charlotte Hornets sure looked like a team that missed being at home during the first two games of this series with the Miami Heat.
The Heat stayed with their regular lineup and rotations, including Amar’e Stoudemire as their first big man off the bench.
Miami committed 14 turnovers, leading to 15 points for the Hornets. On Sunday, he sat out practice with a bruised right thigh, but said afterward he felt confident he would play in Game 4.
“I texted him and told him I wasn’t trying to hurt him”, Durant said. “I feel like the first game it was more one-on-one coverages”. The Heat topped the 100-point mark for the 17th consecutive home game, extending the second-longest streak in franchise history. “That’s why we’re the team we are-just guys being able to sacrifice”.
“It wasn’t going to be one of those where you keep them quiet the whole series. So they’re trying to meet me early”. “The pace was better than it was in the first game”.
The Hornets need to shore up their defense after giving up an average of 119 points on 58 percent shooting, 53 percent from beyond the 3-point line, in Games 1 and 2.
He said the pregame lineup changes Steve Clifford made by going big in Game 3 with 7-foot rookie Frank Kaminsky at power forward and moving 6-9, 237-pound forward Marvin Williams to small forward “planted the seed” for Charlotte to play more physical and aggressive in the paint. “We got to built on that and we can’t be comfortable”, Lin said. They got us into foul trouble, and that was tough.
Kaminsky struggled in the Hornets’ first two games of their first-round series. Dragic said the Heat simply has to do a better job setting screens and reading the coverages off pick and rolls to avoid those deflections. They are content letting him shoot anywhere outside the pain.
Since then, the Hornets have dropped first-round series to Orlando and Miami in four games, and both of those series took place when Charlotte was the Bobcats. Charlotte could’ve closed out those stops with more rebounds (Miami actually won the boards battle, 18 coming from Hassan Whiteside), but the 14 Miami turnovers Charlotte forced swung the tide. “So I wanted to come out and leave it all out there, be aggressive at the offensive end and help on the defensive end”. “I’m just thankful coach saw that”. Only 4 Heat players scored in double digits, with none of thrm scoring 20+.
Heat: After making 5 of 7 3-pointers to start the game, Miami made just 1 of its next 13 attempts.
TV/radio: NBATV, SUN; WAXY 790, WRTO 98.3 FM (Spanish).
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Now the series is 2-1 in favor of the Heat. There is a clear trend of Miami winning games when they don’t turn the ball over and losing when they do.
