Heat at Hornets
It's a crowded race for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and two of the teams in that battle will go head-to-head when the Charlotte Hornets host the Miami Heat on Wednesday. The teams enter the matchup tied as they battle with the Orlando Magic for the No. 8 spot.
The Heat appeared to be sliding out of the race while dropping nine of 11 but have since earned wins in three of the last four contests, capped by a 114-113 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. "I'm actually pleased that we got the outcome, but that we were forced to go through a game like this," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the close victory. "This is better than any two-hour film session we can go through, any kind of hour-and-a-half practice. It exhibited how important every single possession is. ... I think it's a great opportunity for us to grow from this." The Hornets are sliding in the opposite direction with losses in eight of their last 11 games, including four straight setbacks at home. "You just have to focus on what’s in front of you right now," Charlotte power forward Marvin Williams told reporters after falling to Portland 118-108 on Sunday. "We don't have many left, but we do have a lot of work to do. I think everyone understands that, so luckily for us we kind of have a chance to rest up and we’ll have a good practice and get ready for a really good Miami team on Wednesday."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Miami), FS Southeast (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE HEAT (29-34): Future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade scored 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting in Monday's win but got more credit for his work on the other end of the floor, where he blocked two shots. Wade (1,052) passed Michael Jordan for the most blocks combined in the regular season and playoffs by a guard and needs 17 more to notch the regular season mark. "I got one (record). It's good," Wade told reporters. "As you guys know, I take a lot of pride in my ability to be able to block shots in so many different ways. Especially now, I take even more (pride) in my ability to block a shot. I would love to get them both. But either way, it's pretty cool."
ABOUT THE HORNETS (29-34): Charlotte coach James Borrego changed the substitution pattern over the last two games to include power forward Frank Kaminsky, who had drifted so far down the bench that he reportedly asked for his release. Kaminsky is producing in his expanded minutes and recorded 18 points in a season-high 28 minutes on Sunday after posting 15 off the bench in the previous contest. "He looks really aggressive right now, asserting himself, we're looking for him, he's playing with a lot of confidence right now, shooting the ball, driving and creating offense for us as well as battling on the boards," Borrego told reporters of Kaminsky. "We're going to need him. We need that spark and he's giving it to us right now."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Heat PG Goran Dragic (calf) sat out Monday and is day-to-day.
2. Hornets All-Star PG Kemba Walker handed out a season-high 12 assists on Sunday.
3. The Southeast Division rivals are meeting for the first time since Oct. 30, when Charlotte earned a 125-113 home victory.