Andrew Wiggins scored 15 of his season-high 42 points in the decisive third quarter as the host Miami Heat snapped their 10-game losing streak, beating the Charlotte Hornets 122-105 on Sunday night.
Wiggins – who fell five points shy of his career-high point total – made 16 of 21 shots from the field, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range, and had five assists and two steals.
Snapping their longest skid since 2007-08, the Heat (30-41) got 29 points from Tyler Herro, who played with a left hip contusion. Bam Adebayo played despite a sprained left knee and scored 11 points.
Miami’s Kel’el Ware (eight rebounds) and Davion Mitchell (seven assists) chipped in 12 points apiece.
The Hornets (18-53) were led by LaMelo Ball, who posted 18 points and a game-high 11 assists.
Charlotte, which is 7-28 on the road, also got 19 points from Nick Smith Jr., 17 from Miles Bridges and 14 from Mark Williams.
Thanks to a 13-0 run, the Hornets led 26-20 after the first quarter. Smith had nine points in the quarter after scoring a total of seven points in his first two games against Miami this season.
Adebayo was held scoreless in the first quarter as Miami was outshot 55 percent to 40 percent.
The Heat trailed by as many as 12 in the second quarter but closed the half on a 22-2 run, taking a 57-47 lead.
In that quarter, Miami shot a blistering 68.2 percent while also gaining advantages in paint points (22-6) and fastbreak points (10-0). Meanwhile, Charlotte shot just 30 percent in the quarter.
The Heat blew the game open in the third quarter, taking a 96-75 lead with Wiggins making 7 of 11 shots as Miami shot 64 percent.
Miami wasn’t challenged in the fourth quarter and finished the game shooting 57.3 percent, including 41.4 percent on 3-pointers (12 for 29).
Charlotte shot 47.1 percent overall and 33.3 percent from deep (11 for 33).
-Field Level Media
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