Hornets 78, Heat 76
Hornets 78, Heat 76: Kemba Walker returned from a two-game absence to score 15 points, including three key free throws down the stretch, as host Charlotte held off Miami.
Bismack Biyombo collected 12 points and 12 rebounds and Al Jefferson scored 12 points off the bench for the Hornets, who have won three straight and eight of nine. Gerald Henderson added 11 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist contributed eight points and 14 rebounds for Charlotte, which beat Miami for only the second time in the last 19 meetings.
Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each had 17 points and seven rebounds for the Heat, who matched the low point of the season at six games below .500. Mario Chalmers added 13 points for Miami, which was without center Hassan Whiteside (ankle) and forward Luol Deng (illness).
Biyombo converted a three-point play to push Charlotte's lead to 65-53 with 1:29 left in the third quarter, but Miami rattled off a 9-2 run to start the fourth to cut it to 67-64. Bosh and Chalmers hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Heat a 74-72 lead with 3:36 remaining, but Miami missed five straight shots while the Hornets hit 6-of-8 free throws over the final 1:14, and Bosh and Chalmers each missed 3-pointers in the final seconds.
The Hornets dominated on the glass early and built an 11-point lead when Brian Roberts opened the second quarter with a deep 3-pointer. The Heat trimmed the deficit to three before Henderson's jumper made it 45-39 at the break.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Miami dropped to 1-22 when tied or trailing after three quarters. … Walker saw the end of his streak of six straight games scoring 28 or more points. … The Hornets have held 10 straight opponents under 100 points.