CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One night after a home-opening blowout, the Charlotte Hornets answered with a 115-110 win over the still-winless Miami Heat on Saturday at Spectrum Center, led by 34 points from Brandon Miller.
Miller, who signed a five-year, $209 million extension earlier in the week, had managed only six points in Friday’s 128-81 loss to Atlanta, one of the most lopsided defeats the franchise has suffered. On Saturday he went 11 of 12 at the free-throw line and grabbed eight rebounds to go with his scoring.
Charlotte broke the game open in the third quarter. Up 68-63 early in the period, the Hornets hit five 3-pointers during a 24-7 run and pushed the lead to 92-70 before a sellout crowd of 19,611.
Miami did not fold. With Giannis Antetokounmpo in foul trouble, the Heat leaned on a lineup built around Davion Mitchell and Bam Adebayo and clawed back to tie the game three times, the last at 104 with 3:46 to play. Grayson Allen then swung it back for good, banking in a deep 3-pointer from the left wing as the shot clock expired while being fouled and making the free throw for a 108-104 edge.
Dennis Schröder scored 25, Naz Reid added 23 with five 3-pointers and Allen finished with 20 for Charlotte, now 2-1. The Hornets shot 16 of 43 from deep after going 11 of 51 the night before.
Antetokounmpo, acquired from Milwaukee in the offseason, was held to 14 points and fouled out with 1:57 left. Mitchell had 22 points and 10 assists for Miami, and Adebayo scored 20.
It was the first meeting between the teams since Charlotte’s overtime win in last spring’s play-in tournament ended Miami’s season.
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