The Miami Heat got scorching hot for the entire first half and rode that advantage to a 115-103 win over the Charlotte Hornets in Game 2 on Wednesday night. Miami now leads the first-round series 2-0 as things shift to Charlotte for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
There's having a good half of shooting, and then there's torching the rim like the Heat did in the first two quarters in this game. At halftime, Miami led 72-60 and was shooting an astonishing 29-of-39 (74 percent) from the field, including 7-of-10 from three-point range.
That gave Miami the cushion it needed. When the Hornets cut the deficit down to seven points -- the closest they'd ever get -- in the third quarter, the Heat responded with an 8-0 run to push it back to 15. After Spencer Hawes hit a free throw to make it 105-98 with just over three minutes in regulation, Miami piled on a quick six points from Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng to cut the legs off the comeback in its tracks.
The Heat finished the game shooting 58 percent from the field and 56 percent from three. Wade led the team with 28 points on 11-of-22 shooting and Hassan Whiteside had a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Kemba Walker had a game-high 29 points on 12-of-29 shooting.
Much of Miami's advantage in this game ultimately came from the fact that it hit eight more three-pointers on the same number of attempts as Charlotte. The Hornets can easily point to their 1-of-16 effort from behind the arc as a key reason that they fell short in Game 2.
Now Charlotte will have to try to turn things around at home, where the team performed much better during the regular season. An injury to Nicolas Batum throws a wrench in that situation, however, so surely the team is monitoring his status closely while laying plans for Game 3.
Three other things we learned:
1. Hassan Whiteside has a huge advantage on the Hornets' bigs
The Hornets' post defenders got worked by Whiteside for the second straight game. The Heat big man put up 17 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks in 30 minutes. He shot a perfect 8-of-8 from the field. Whether it's Al Jefferson, Cody Zeller, Marvin Williams or Frank Kaminsky, Charlotte's biggest players simply look overmatched compared to Whiteside's length and athleticism.
In two games, Whiteside has averaged 19 points on 89 percent shooting and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes per game. The Heat are grinding at Charlotte's defense with the pick-and-roll and the Hornets' inability to match up against Whiteside has been crucial to that. He's the one player in this series who simply has no equal and Charlotte is running out of time to find ways to neutralize his post game.
2. Nicolas Batum's injury could be trouble
One of the big reasons for the Hornets' impressive season has been the strong play of forward Nicolas Batum. The versatile wing brings a number of skills on both sides of the court and takes pressure off Charlotte's other ball handlers with his scoring and playmaking skills. In Game 2, Batum suffered a left ankle sprain in the fourth quarter that leaves his status uncertain for the rest of the series and throws a cloud over the Hornets' chances of making a comeback.
With the series heading back to Charlotte, where the Hornets went 30-11 during the regular season (third-best in the East), the team has reason for optimism. Making that comeback without Batum would significantly up the difficulty, though, especially given the next section in this post. If Batum cannot return quickly, the Heat's road to Round 2 just got a lot easier.
3. Marvin Williams has gone ice cold
The Hornets forward has been one of the unsung heroes of the team's turnaround this season. The former No. 2 overall pick has settled in as a quality role player and provided Charlotte with a steady 3-and-D wing who regularly could fill minutes at the four. During the regular season, he shot over 40 percent from three and gave the Hornets a steady source of secondary scoring. It would be really great if that player showed up soon.
Williams missed all 10 of his shot attempts in Game 2 and finished the game with zero points. Not only did he fail to hit a bucket from the field, he also went 0-of-2 from the free throw line. It's the second straight game in which the 29-year-old has struggled badly with his shot. Williams has two points on 1-of-17 shooting and one assist over 55 minutes in this series so far. That's just not going to cut it when Miami has been nailing shots all series.