For weeks, the Miami Heat have been searching for a road statement, a victory away from Kaseya Center with substance.<\/p>\n
For the entire season, the Heat have been searching for a comeback win on the road.<\/p>\n
Mission accomplished \u2026 and accomplished, with Friday night\u2019s 128-120 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center.<\/p>\n
Rebounding from road losses last week against the Bucks and 76ers, the Heat also won for the first time this season when trailing on the road after three quarters.<\/p>\n
With their seventh victory in their last nine games, the Heat secured the season-series tiebreaker against the Hornets, having taken the first three games of the four matchups.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the best time of year,\u201d coach Erik Spoelstra said. \u201cWe feel like our game has been trending in such a great way, both ends of the court.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tyler Herro, who kept the Heat afloat early and then sparked them in the fourth quarter, closed with a season-high 33 points, going 8 of 10 on 3-pointers, with nine assists and nine rebounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just was sensational tonight,\u201d\u00a0 Spoelstra said. \u201cHe was scoring when he needed to. He was manipulating the defense when he needed to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Herro was supported by 24 points and 12 rebounds from Bam Adebayo and 21 points from Jaime Jaquez Jr.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe woke up this morning, we got in late last night, and our mindset was to come in here and try to steal one on the road,\u201d Herro said, with the Heat having won a night earlier at home against the Brooklyn Nets. \u201cWe know how much it\u2019s meant to us in the standings, and it was a collective win from top to bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n
The victory came as the Heat not only remained without Norman Powell, but this time also were without Andrew Wiggins,<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a big win,\u201d Adebayo said. \u201cIt felt like a playoff game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Next up is a Sunday matchup against the East-leading Detroit Pistons at the start of a four-game homestand that has the Heat playing at Kaseya Center every other night for a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re getting to that point of the year where all these games matter,\u201d Jaquez said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to make a push to try to hopefully get out of this play-in tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the victory, the Heat moved past the Orlando Magic for seventh place in the East, percentage points behind the Philadelphia 76ers for No. 6 in the East, the final spot that advances directly to the playoffs.<\/p>\n
Five Degrees of Heat from Friday night\u2019s game:<\/p>\n
1. Game flow: The Heat led 30-27 after the first period, before the Hornets took a 61-58 lead into halftime.<\/p>\n
The Hornets then took a 101-98 lead into the fourth, with the Heat entering 1-23 when trailing after three quarters, including 0-15 in that situation on the road.<\/p>\n
From there, a 9-0 run put the Heat up 115-108 with 5:48 to play, forcing a Hornets timeout. Later, a\u00a0 Herro 3-pointer helped push the Heat to a nine-point lead with 4:28 left.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to actually do iti n the moments of truth,\u201d Spoelstra said, \u201cand it was really gratifying.<\/p>\n
From there, Kon Knueppel 3-pointers got the Hornets within three, with Adebayo eventually sent to the line with 18.5 seconds to play and the Heat up 124-120, making both.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe valued every possession,\u201d Herro said. \u201cYou know, it felt like a playoff game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the key contributors at closing time was guard Dru Smith, who played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter, with four assists and four steals in the period.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we were able to kind of play a collective game in the fourth quarter,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI think everybody was able to kind of have their hand in making some big plays offensively and defensively.\u201d<\/p>\n
2. Another twist: With Powell and Wiggins out, the Heat moved to their 21st lineup of the season.<\/p>\n
That had Myron Gardner getting his fifth start, opening alongside Adebayo, Herro, Davion Michell and Pelle Larsson.<\/p>\n
The Heat are now 3-2 with Gardner as a starter.<\/p>\n
In addition to Powell (groin) and Wiggins (knee) being out, the Heat also were without Nikola Jovic (back) and Simone Fontecchio (groin).<\/p>\n
3. Herro for 3: Having worked to regain his range after missing a month with a rib injury, Herro not only opened 5 for 5 on 3-pointers but also was fouled on a 3-point attempt in the midst of that run, making all three of those free throws.<\/p>\n
He entered 5 of 15 from beyond the arc in his three previous games.<\/p>\n
Herro was at 27 points through three quarters, at that point making his highest-scoring game since he went for 29 on Nov. 26 against the Bucks, his previous highest-scoring game of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about today or yesterday or the day before. We\u2019re just trying to continue to stack days,\u201d Herro said. \u201cWe know how much this season means to us. We\u2019re capable of a lot. We just got to continue to work at it every day and stack good days. At the end of the year, we want to play our best ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
4. Jaquez, too: Less expected but also prolific from beyond the arc was Jaquez, who shot 4 of 6 on 3-pointers.<\/p>\n
Jaquez, a liability from beyond the arc most of the season, entering 5 of 26 from beyond the arc the previous 10 games, with no more than two in any previous game this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes that mean he\u2019s going to shoot four, you know, for six, you know, every single night?\u201d Spoelstra said. \u201cI don\u2019t know. But he wants to make an impact. And you have a game that feels like this, Jaime\u2019s going to put his fingerprints on the game one way or another. And he did that.\u201d<\/p>\n
With his 19th point, Jaquez reached a season high for points over his three-year career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just trying to continue to play my game, and if I get the shots, I just shoot them,\u201d Jaquez said. \u201cI work on my three every single day. It\u2019s something I continuously try to get better at.\u201d<\/p>\n
5. Uneven night: Adebayo endured an uneven shooting night, unable to keep up with the 3-point pace elsewhere on the court.<\/p>\n
He opened 1 of 8 from the field and later fell to 4 of 15, closing 10 of 26<\/p>\n
The struggles also included an 0-for-5 night\u00a0 from beyond the arc. He went without a 3-pointer in Thursday night\u2019s loss to the Nets, after converting at least one in his previous 10 games.<\/p>\n
But when needed, Adebayo scored 12 fourth-quarter points.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at that fourth quarter,\u201d Adebayo said, \u201cit was super intense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adebayo is now 23 points shy of 10,000 for his career, with Dwyane Wade the lone player to score at that threshold with the Heat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought Bam and Tyler really set the tone for us in the fourth quarter,\u201d Jaquez said.<\/p>\n
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