The Miami Heat defeated the visiting Charlotte Hornets, 115-103, to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs Wednesday at American Airlines Arena.
Both teams started the game strong, but the Heat were exceptional as they shot 74 percent from the field on their way to a franchise-high 72 points in the first half and a 12-point lead going into halftime. The Heat were able to ride their lead until the final buzzer as they matched Charlotte's 43 points in the relatively quiet second half. Meanwhile, Nicolas Batum left the game early in the fourth quarter after twisting his left ankle and did not return.
Miami cooled down in the second half but still shot 58 percent from the field in the game, including 9-16 from downtown, while going 18-22 from the free throw line. Dwyane Wade led the way offensively for Miami as he finished with 28 points (11-22 FG, 6-7 FT), eight assists, three rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot, in 32 minutes. Hassan Whiteside continued his strong play with 17 points (8-8 FG, 1-1 FT), 13 rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal, in 30 minutes. Goran Dragic added 18 points, while rookie Josh Richardson chipped in 15 points off the bench.
Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson combined for 54 points to lead the Hornets offensively. Walker finished with a game-high 29 points (12-29 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), along with five rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block, while Jefferson tallied 25 points (12-17 FG, 1-2 FT), seven rebounds, one assist and one steal. The Hornets shot only 1-16 from downtown but despite that managed to stay within striking distance as they had Miami's lead cut to seven, with three minutes remaining.
The series now heads to Charlotte for Game 3 on Saturday. The Hornets will be happy to be back home, where they held a 30-11 record during the regular season.
