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It was a bad time for the Heat to see its eight-game home winning streak end. Charlotte claimed perhaps the biggest win in its history, knocking off Miami in Game 5 and can close out its first postseason series win since 2002 with a victory on Friday.
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LETDOWN
The team that shot the lights out in the first two games suddenly disappeared and the Miami Heat are one loss away from being eliminated after taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Heat were unstoppable after a franchise record-setting start to the postseason. Miami scored 238 points through those first two games, shot 58 percent and seemed destined to win their first playoff series of their post-LeBron era.
Now, unless they abruptly halt a recent trend, they might not even make it out of the first round. The Heat had to fight just to get to 80 points in the past three games and averaged slightly better than 84 per game. Miami must now find a way to win Friday in Charlotte to force a game 7 back in Miami on Sunday. The Heat is 13-0 all-time in playoff series it led 2-0, a perfect streak now in jeopardy.
INJURIES
The Heat activated guard Tyler Johnson, who hasn’t played since late January while recovering from shoulder surgery. He didn’t play Wednesday night and coach Erik Spoelstra did not plan to play Johnson except in an emergency situation.
Nicolas Batum returned to the Hornets lineup after missing the previous two games with a sore foot. He came off the bench and finished with eight points in 26 minutes. Center Cody Zeller missed a portion of the first half with a banged up knee, but returned to the game.
KEY MATCHUP
The Heat will lean on veteran Dwyane Wade when it faces elimination in Game 6 Friday night. Wade was Miami’s best player on Wednesday. With backcourt mate Goran Dragic struggling with his shot and having a difficult time guarding either Jeremy Lin or Kemba Walker, Wade rose up as Miami’s primary offensive weapon, scoring a team-high 25 points on 11 of 19 shooting with five rebounds and four assists.
Wade and the Heat were furious over a non-call late in the fourth quarter when Wade was clearly bumped by Charlotte’s Cody Zeller after grabbing a missed shot. Trailing by two points, Wade should have gone to the line with a chance to knot the score. It wasn’t to be. Though the league will deny it, superstars get the calls, and Wade should be in that class. He didn’t get the whistle on Wednesday, but maybe he does on Friday.
QUICK PICK
Playing on the road hasn’t been the best medicine for the Heat and now they are faced with a must-win Game 6 in Charlotte to extend the series. The Hornets are in full charge now, going back to North Carolina with three straight wins, heading for the second round of the playoffs unless Wade mounts one of those monster games that LeBron James often did during his Miami postseason days.
Miami’s offense has hit a brick wall, falling short of 90 points in three consecutive games and getting only 12 points from Wade the last time these teams played at TWC Arena. But closing out a series is always tough and the Hornets’ lack of playoff experience is an obstacle. A return to south beach isn’t on Charlotte’s agenda, though, and the defensive intensity will remain high and difficult for the Heat to overcome.
NBA Odds: Charlotte 104, Miami 99
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