The Heat turned a game that looked out of reach into a real fight, erasing a 23-point deficit and putting themselves in position to steal a win. But the Hornets answered when it mattered most, closing out a 115-110 victory after the Heat’s late push.
At 5 seconds to go in the third quarter, the Heat trailed by as much as 23. From there, they ripped off a 27-4 run to tie the game, turning what had been a lopsided contest into a tense finish. Even so, the comeback fell just short.
What the result means
The loss left the Heat at 0-3, an early-season start that makes each missed opportunity feel bigger. For the Hornets, the win moved them to 2-1 and gave them a needed road result in a game where they had to survive a major swing in momentum.
For the Heat, the takeaway is straightforward: the effort to recover from a deep deficit was there, but the finish was not. For the Hornets, the ability to absorb that surge and still leave with a win is the kind of result that can matter early in the season.
