Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Heat storm back to victory
Olynyk foul shot caps rally from 10-point fourth-quarter deficit
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — How in the . . .? It doesn’t really matter. The only thing that mattered Saturday night was Kelly Olynyk hit a foul shot with two-tenths of a second to play at the Spectrum Center and the Miami Heat somehow, almost unfathomably, recovered from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 106-105 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
While playing in the injury absence of Goran Dragic.
And for the fourth consecutive game on the road. On the second night of a back-to-back. What seemingly couldn’t happen did. Including stealing a late Charlotte inbounds pass for a James Johnson 3-pointer. Unfathomable. But true. Surreal, almost. It didn’t matter how the Heat got there, only that they did.
With Nicolas Batum fueling a Hornets’ third-quarter surge on the way to 26 points, and Kemba Walker scoring 22, with Dwight Howard adding 14 points and 15 rebounds, it appeared the Hornets would cruise to the close.
But Wayne Ellington stepped into the Heat’s starting lineup to score 26, James Johnson added 22 and center Hassan Whiteside contributed 10 points and 14 rebounds, as the Heat found a way.
Dragic was in uniform and available in an emergency situation, with Ellington moved into the starting lineup, alongside Whiteside, Johnson, Josh Richardson and Derrick Jones Jr.
“It happened in Milwaukee and then re-aggravated it [Friday] night,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of Dragic’s bruised left knee. “It’s below the pad, so that’s all I have for you right now.”
Asked if the injury could have been exacerbated by playing in Brooklyn, Spoelstra said, “If it would have, we would have sat him. “He got hit on it again.” Asked if contact could be a factor going forward, with Whiteside missing 18 games with a bruised left knee this season, Spoelstra said, “That’s all I got for you right now. That’s all I got for you right now.”
Dragic took treatment before the game, not declared out of the starting lineup until an hour before tipoff.
Dragic closed Friday’s loss to the Nets with 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting, playing 31 minutes, 45 seconds.
The Heat already were lacking their two primary starting shooting guards, with Dion Waiters awaiting season-ending ankle surgery and guard Tyler Johnson missing his third consecutive game with a sprained left ankle.
That had the Heat turning to their 15th different starting lineup, Ellington’s first start of the season.
Spoelstra said before Wednesday’s victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, that the goal would be to keep Ellington’s scoring burst in reserve.
“I don’t know if we’re at that point right now with Wayne. I hope we don’t necessarily get to that point, but if I have to, I will,” Spoelstra said Wednesday, having to do so Saturday. “It’s whatever I think we have to do to get the job done on a particular night, especially when we’re dealing with injury and different lineups.”
Dragic previously missed three games in late December with a sore left elbow, with the Heat 2-1 in those games.
With Olynyk hitting three 3-pointers early in the fourth period, the Heat were able to claw back within four points after trailing by 10 at the start of the quarter.
The Hornets then pushed back, but so did Olynyk, his basket with just under three minutes to play drawing the Heat within 101-96.
James Johnson then got to the line, converting a free throw with 1:52 to play to draw the Heat within 101-97.
But Batum was true with a short jumper on the other end for a 103-97 Charlotte lead, before an Ellington 3-pointer with 1:23 to play got the Heat within 103-100.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist then converted a drive for a 105-100 Charlotte lead that was followed by a Johnson turnover.
That, in turn, was followed by a Batum turnover, putting the Heat in possession down five with 37.2 seconds to play.
Johnson then dunked to bring the Heat within 105-102, with the Heat stealing the inbounds pass and Johnson converting a 3-pointer for a 105-105 tie with 30.3 seconds to go.
The Hornets then went to Walker, who was off on a drive, with the rebound going out of bounds off the Heat.
Walker again got the ball, was off with a shot, with Olynyk fouled in transition Howard with two tenth of a second.
He made the second of the two foul shots, which was all that was needed.
With Batum scoring 12 consecutive Charlotte points, the Hornets pushed to a 69-67 lead midway through the third period and kept going from there, taking an 83-73 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Heat used to a 9-0 run late in the second period to move to an 11-point lead before going into the half up 57-48. Richardson was up to 12 points by then for the Heat, Walker at 15 for Charlotte.
The Heat took an early 11-point lead before going into the second period up 31-27, with Whiteside up to eight rebound at that stage. The Heat shot .583 in the first quarter but did not score from the line, with Ellington missing the Heat’s lone two attempts of the quarter.
It was the third game of the four-game season, which concludes Jan. 27 at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat entered having won the previous two meetings, 105-100 on Dec. 1 at AmericanAirlines Arena and 104-98 Dec. 15 in Charlotte.
The Heat entered having won the teams’ previous four meetings, after losing the three before that.
The Heat were seeking to go 2-0 in Charlotte for the first time since 2013-14.
The Hornets entered off a two-day break, coming off Wednesday’s 133-109 rout of the visiting Wizards.
The Hornets entered with victories in five of their previous seven games overall, but just 2-3 in their previous five home games.
The game was the second on a five-game homestand for Charlotte.