The Miami Heat fell to 0-3 after a 115-110 loss to the undermanned Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night, with Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring just 14 points before fouling out with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. It is the first 0-3 start in Erik Spoelstra’s 19-year tenure as Heat head coach, according to ESPN Research.
Giannis fouls out vs Hornets as Heat tumble to 0-3, and the timing could hardly have been worse for Miami. The two-time MVP, in his first season with the Heat after his blockbuster trade from Milwaukee, had scored 71 points across the first two games of the season. Against Charlotte, foul trouble limited him to 25 minutes, 4-of-11 shooting, six rebounds and three assists.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Credits: ESPN)
Brandon Miller Leads Hornets Past Heat 115-110
Charlotte’s bounce-back was remarkable given the circumstances. The Hornets were missing starters Kon Knueppel and Coby White, and they arrived off a 128-81 home-opening loss to Atlanta on Friday — one of the worst defeats in franchise history. Brandon Miller, who managed just six points in that loss days after signing a five-year, $209 million contract extension, answered with 34 points to lead all scorers.
Dennis Schroder added 25 points, Naz Reid had 23 and Grayson Allen scored 20 for Charlotte (2-1). After shooting 11-of-51 from three-point range on Friday, the Hornets made 16 of 43 on Saturday, and five of those threes sparked a 24-7 run in the third quarter that turned a 68-63 lead into a 92-70 advantage with 2:55 left in the period, in front of a sellout crowd of 19,611 at Spectrum Center.
Heat Rally Falls Short After Giannis Fouls Out
Miami refused to go away. With Antetokounmpo in foul trouble, Spoelstra used a lineup of Davion Mitchell and Bam Adebayo alongside reserves Pelle Larsson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bobby Portis Jr. to spark a rally that forged ties at 100, 102 and 104. Mitchell led Miami with 22 points, Adebayo added 20, Larsson had 15 and Klay Thompson scored 14.
After the final tie with 3:46 to play, Allen turned momentum back Charlotte’s way for good with an acrobatic three-pointer from the left wing while being fouled by Hardaway at the end of the shot clock. His free throw completed the four-point play for a 108-104 lead, and Miami would not get any closer than three the rest of the way.
The defeat continues a rough opening week for the new-look Heat, who lost to Minnesota 131-106 and Detroit 128-111 before falling in Charlotte. Miami hopes to get its first win on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks, but three games in, the Giannis era in South Beach is still waiting for its first victory — and its star is still waiting for a night when foul trouble does not cut his evening short.
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Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
