Miami Heat light up Hornets in the 3rd to spur victory

The Miami Heat dominate the 2nd half on there way to a 132-115 victory over the Charlotte Hornets as they spoil the return of LaMelo Ball. The Heat used a dominate third quarter, outscoring the Hornets 45-25, to take over this game and claim back to back wins on their quest back to .500.

Max Strus was the player of the game. It was mentioned in my last article that a bounce back was expected, but my goodness was he loose in this one. He scored a game-high 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 8-of-14 from deep to go along with four rebounds, two assists, a steal and no turnovers. He was working extremely hard to get to his spots and he was taking advantage of the looks given to him. It also needs to be mentioned that Strus has been able to score in double digits in 10 straight games now as the starter. He has delivered on both ends and continues to be the kind of player the Heat are going to want to keep after this season. And you know what, I can think of one other player the Heat would want to keep passed this season.

Gabe Nnamdi Vincent. We all know what he can offer on the defensive side of the ball, but the shot making he put on display tonight can make him one of the better two-way guards in the league. He scored 20 points on an efficient 7-of-13 shooting to go with two assists, one steal and no turnovers. He was manipulating defenses with his crafty ball handling, which seems to have improved since last season, and it's allowing him to get to spots on the floor he is comfortable shooting from. His shot was on point tonight and it was a lot more than just spot ups. It can't be said enough how incredible these two players have been to start the season.

Now lets get to the big man, Bam Adebayo! He was an absolute wreaking ball and there was nothing the Charlotte Hornets could do to stop him. He finished with 24 points on a healthy 11-of-18 shooting to go with a season-high 15 rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal. He does continue to have a turnover problem as he had five tonight, but that is part of the growing pains of molding him into a premier scorer. His presence on the boards was incredible and it had a lot to do with the Heat coaching staff putting Bam in a drop coverage. This allowed him to stay closer to the rim and be more present on the defensive glass. This allowed Bam to lead a lot of fast breaks and put pressure on the opposing bigs and create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.

Speaking of teammates. The duo of Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler were on triple double watch tonight. Lowry scored 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, eight assists and a steal while Butler had his usual 20 points on a ridiculously efficient 6-of-8 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the line as well as eight assists of his own, seven rebounds, a steal and no turnovers. Great all-around contributions from both of these veterans and I hope to feel the same impact from Lowry throughout this season.

I also need to give love to Caleb Martin for not just this game, but the performance he has put up throughout this season. He has been put in a position that is not the best for him, but what the team needs at this current moment and he is taking it in stride. His high motor is what drew Miami to him in the first place and what got him that 3 year contract and it's also what is making him indispensable on this roster. He had seven points on 3-of-8 shooting, four rebounds, four assists, a steal and was a +27 in 33 minutes played. His versatility allows Erik Spoelstra to place him in any lineup as he is one of the best defenders and rim runners on the team.

The bench was once again a huge part of this victory. I've already mentioned the 20 points we received from Gabe Vincent, but the performances from Dewayne Dedmon and Duncan Robinson also need to be recognized. Duncan didn't have a great shooting night as he had just five points on 2-of-9 shooting, but he was mixing it up again with a floater as well as an and-1 layup. As for Dedmon, this was his most complete game of the season. He had seven points, four rebounds, two assists and three blocks in this one. I definitely didn't feel the drop off when Bam went to the bench as I had during other games.

This was a solid performance from the Miami Heat as they took care of business at home against an inferior team in the Charlotte Hornets. Next, the home stand continues as they face off against the Phoenix Suns on Monday, November 14th at 7:30 PM EST. The Heat need to continue the momentum they have built in these last two wins and I expect a very competitive game on Monday. See you guys then!