CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For just the third time this season, the Charlotte Hornets have won back-to-back games. They accomplished the feat Sunday with an impressive win over the division-leading Miami Heat.
Terry Rozier scored 31 points as three Hornets scored at least 20 points in the 122-117 win over the Heat.
Miami led by four points at halftime but Charlotte broke out to a big lead in the second half. The Heat came within just a few points of pitching a comeback but the Hornets thwarted the effort.
An even first quarter left the Heat ahead 28-26 after 12 minutes of play. The Heat extended the lead to 62-58 after the second quarter where Miami's Jimmy Butler scored 11 points. Charlotte led briefly in the second quarter but a push by the Heat in the half's final two minutes gave Miami the advantage.
Miami led by as much as 13 points in the third quarter but the Hornets fought back to take a 91-86 lead by the end of the frame.
The Hornets extended their lead in the fourth quarter, leading by as much as 12 points with just under six minutes remaining. LaMelo Ball saved his best efforts for the final frame, notching 13 points in the 4th quarter to give him a total of 19 for the game.
Miami went on a 10-0 run to pull within two points with around three minutes remaining but Charlotte regrouped and kept the lead in their possession for the rest of regulation.
Rozier led the game with 31 points. It's the 27th time Rozier has surpassed 30 points as a Hornet, placing him third in franchise history in that category. He was followed on his team by P.J. Washington with 27 points and Gordon Hayward with 20 points.
Miami was led by Butler, who earned 28 points.
The Hornets shot exceptionally well on Sunday, making 54.2% of their shots from the field, a statistic they continue to rank near the bottom of the league at.
“[The Heat are] a good team, obviously. They’re hard to play against," said Steve Clifford, Charlotte Hornets coach. "You have to have a lot of guys play well, and we had a lot of guys play well."
Charlotte (15-36) is next in action on Tuesday to face the Milwaukee Bucks (32-17) on the road. They will have a chance to win three games in a row for the first time this season.
Miami (28-23) will next face the Cleveland Cavaliers (30-21) on Tuesday.