Five takeaways from Heat-Hornets: The incredible comeback that almost was
Here are five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 113-112 loss on Saturday to the Charlotte Hornets (2-1) at AmericanAirlines Arena.
1. The comeback that almost was. The Heat (1-2) found itself down by 26 points with 5:58 remaining in the third quarter but closed the period on a 24-8 run to cut the deficit to 10. From there, the comeback was on, with Miami eventually tying the game at 112 with 12.3 seconds remaining on a put-back layup from Dwyane Wade.
But then Kemba Walker happened. Walker drove to the basket and drew a foul on Rodney McGruder with 0.5 seconds to play. Walker made the first free throw, which ended up as the game-winner, and purposely missed the second one to allow time to expire and end the Heat’s chance at completing the comeback.
The Heat didn’t necessarily agree with the foul call that decided the game.
“The only thing I told the team afterward, I apologized to Rodney first of all,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I’ll have to take a look at it, but I thought he just did a great job there at the end against a perennial All-Star. To have the game end like that, it’s unfortunate.
“We’ll look at the film. I’m sure the officials will look at the film. It looked like a game that should have just gone into overtime. It’s just a shame and Rodney played his heart out there. That’s not an easy cover, and I think he did it with great, great technique and left hand to the sky. I’ll have to take a look at it, but this is a game for sure that you want it to keep going. It should have been decided in an overtime, if not more.”
McGruder, who finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his first-career double-double, remained neutral when asked about the foul call.
“My reaction was the ref blew a whistle so it had to be a foul. That’s my reaction,” he said. “There’s nothing much else I can really say about the call. The ref called the foul and I guess that’s what he saw.”
2. This was a tale of two halves. The Heat allowed the Hornets to score 72 on 56.5 percent shooting from the field and 12-of-20 shooting from behind the three-point line in the first half.
After a few players -- Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem and James Johnson, in particular -- spoke up at halftime, the Heat’s defense tightened up. Miami limited Charlotte to 41 points on 31.9 percent shooting in the second half, and the Hornets made just 4 of 22 threes over the final two quarters.
“We weren’t showing life,” point guard Goran Dragic said when asked what was said at halftime. “They got everything that they wanted. Layups. Threes. They were making shots. There was no contests. They were wide open. That was their biggest criticism to us.”
But the Heat fell just a few points short of completing the comeback. Miami played a franchise-record 10 one-point games last season, and it has already been a part of two through three games this year.
“I take from this that guys got heart,” center Hassan Whiteside said. “Guys were down 26. I remember just being on the bench watching because I was in foul trouble like, ‘Yo, I can’t wait to get out there and join them and try to make an impact any way I can.’ Guys were out there fighting putting all their energy into the game. Guys were down 26 points.”
3. Kemba Walker was the best player on the court. The Hornets guard finished with 39 points on 14 of 31 shooting from the field and 7 of 15 shooting from three-point range, and had the Heat’s defense scrambling all night.
The Heat’s go-to player to start the season, Josh Richardson, struggled. After averaging 24.5 points on 21 shot attempts over the first two games of the season, Richardson was limited to seven points on 3 of 11 shooting Saturday. He played 27 minutes and was out of rhythm because of foul trouble, picking up his fifth foul with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter.
“Josh was way out of rhythm because of the foul trouble,” Spoelstra said. “But that’s just the way the game goes. I think he should probably have a little bit more respect because of the defender that he is. But that happens. And then regardless, he has to be able to make some plays. He’s obviously vital for us.”
4. Whiteside showed discipline and maturity in the second half. After playing just eight minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, Whiteside found a way to stay on the court for most of the final two quarters.
The Heat’s starting center finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds. But he did most of his work in the second half, recording seven points and 11 rebounds and committing just one foul in 17 minutes during that stretch.
“In the second half, Hassan before he went out was extremely impactful on both ends,” Spoelstra said. “He was out there trying to corral and contain Walker at the three-point line and sprinting back to the rim to finish off possessions with a rebound. That’s what he’s capable of.”
5. This is a bad start to an important stretch for the Heat. Saturday marked the first of an 11-game span that includes eight at home. Miami has a chance to build a cushion above the .500 mark if it takes advantage of this segment of its schedule. This loss doesn’t help.
Following this favorable stretch, Miami hits the road for 10 of 16 games, including a six-game trip that starts on the West Coast.
This story was originally published October 20, 2018 at 10:47 PM.