MIAMI — The Miami Heat scored 16 points in the final three minutes to pull off a comeback win over the Charlotte Hornets to open the 2023-24 NBA preseason.
If the prevailing sentiment for NBA players and analysts is that the regular season does not matter anymore, then the preseason must really not matter. That attitude did not phase the Heat or Hornets on Tuesday night, though, as both teams played hard all four quarters en route to a 113-109 win for Miami.
The Heat led 53-52 at halftime after a great start from Herro and Thomas Bryant. Charlotte kept the pace with good outings from LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward in the opening two quarters.
The lead traded multiple times in the second half before Charlotte stretched out to a seven-point advantage with six minutes left in the game. The Hornets led 104-97 with under three minutes to go and were seemingly on their way to their first preseason victory in two years until Cole Swider and the Heat launched a furious comeback.
Swider scored 11 points in less than two minutes off of three shots from behind the arc and a pair of free throws to eliminate Charlotte's lead. The Hornets managed just two points in the same time span and were left with a four-point deficit with just 26 seconds left on the clock which they could not overcome.
Herro led Miami with 22 points. Swider finished with 17 points. The Hornets were led by Ball with 17 points. No. 2 overall draft pick Brandon Miller had eight points for Charlotte and shot 3-for-9 in the 22 minutes he played.
Charlotte's last preseason win came on Oct. 4, 2021, with a 113-97 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Hornets are hoping to improve off last season's 27-55 record which was second worst in the Eastern Conference. The Heat reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals after finishing 44-38 last season.
Charlotte's next preseason matchup is on Thursday against the Washington Wizards.