Summary/Analysis: Hornets drop home opener to Heat

LaMelo Ball led the way with 27 points, but the Charlotte Hornets couldn't stop down the stretch and lost to the Miami Heat 114-106.

The summary

It seemed as if both teams were leading in their role, and that was true for much of the game. It took a while for both teams to even get a shot together. The Hornets got a small eight-point lead from Seth Curry and briefly took the lead, but the offense faltered after that, allowing the Heat to get back into the game. The Heat's stars took turns finding their rhythm in the second quarter and helped the guests to an eight-point lead at halftime.

The third quarter largely mirrored what happened Friday night against the Hawks. The Hornets made a few small runs and threatened the Heat, but they never managed to score or make enough stops to overtake them. They let go of the rope a bit and trailed by double digits heading into the fourth.

Grant Williams and Miles Bridges hit consecutive three-pointers to open the fourth quarter and force a quick timeout by Erik Spoelstra. That seemed to do the trick. The Hornets didn't score another point until they called their own timeout a few minutes later. It looked like the Heat were going to run and hide, but a couple three-pointers from Cody Martin helped keep them in the Hornets' sights. Miles Bridges did a good job on some Jimmy Butler drives, but was able to get away for a few throws. Tre Mann hit a stepback three-pointer and a pull-up mid-range jumper to answer the Butler buckets, but Tyler Herro hit back with a three-pointer of his own. Nick Richards let a pass slip through his hands that would have resulted in an easy dunk, and the Heat recovered the loose ball and earned free throws. Terry Rozier, of all people, hit the dagger three-pointer just over 30 seconds before the end of the game.

The good

LaMelo Ball couldn't find the shot from deep for most of the game, but still found ways to score. He caused a number of fouls with low breaks on drives into traffic. He used his body to push defenders away, creating space for floaters and lays. It's the kind of progress he needs to make to really develop his goalscoring abilities.

Tre Mann had a good game off the bench at the end. He got off to a bit of a slow start, but as he progressed he made some strong shots and accounted for more than half of the team's bench hits.

When the Hornets brought him back in the summer, Seth Curry seemed more like a veteran than a key rotation player, but he is proving to be an important player. He provided a spark for the Hornets in the first quarter with his shots. He was also a sneakily good offensive rebounder and glue player.

Tidjane Salaün made his NBA debut. He got a rebound as a steal.

The evil

The Hornets committed five five-second turnovers. That's about a whole season's worth. It looked like the guys weren't quite sure where they were supposed to be and there were passes that had to be made that the inbounders just didn't see or trust. It's time to go back to the drawing board and play some out-of-bounds plays on the sidelines.

The Hornets have dug themselves into double-digit holes in all three games so far. They were able to come back and beat the Rockets and have had tough battles in the last two, but they need to figure out how to stay out of these holes. If they can play with the intensity they have shown in their comebacks from the start, they will be really hard to beat.

What's next?

The Hornets have three days off before hosting the Raptors on Wednesday.

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