Miles Bridges delivered a 35-point performance to lead the Charlotte Hornets past the Miami Heat 105-102 on Monday night. Mark Williams added 24 points and 10 rebounds as Charlotte (16-48) secured its first divisional win of the season.
The Heat (29-35) led by 17 points in the first half but suffered another collapse, marking the third time this month they have lost after leading by at least 17. Miami previously blew double-digit leads against New York and Chicago.
Bam Adebayo recorded 23 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists, while Tyler Herro contributed 21 points. The Heat have now dropped four straight games and five of their last six.
LaMelo Ball had 15 points and 10 assists for Charlotte, which excelled at the free-throw line, making 22 of 23 attempts. Miami struggled from the stripe, converting only 14 of 20.
Charlotte entered the game winless in its division this season, going 0-11 against Southeast opponents.
Miami rookie Kel’el Ware saw rare fourth-quarter minutes, appearing in crunch time for only the second time in six games.
Bridges sealed the victory with back-to-back three-pointers in the final 75 seconds. His first shot gave Charlotte the lead, and the second extended the advantage to four, allowing the Hornets to hold off Miami’s final push.
Charlotte used a 14-0 run in the third quarter and a 10-0 surge in the fourth to erase Miami’s early lead.
