Heat 98, Hornets 95
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Chris Bosh's driving layup with 23.5 seconds left lifted the Miami Heat to a 98-95 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
The forward's basket and ensuing free throw put the finishing touch on a Heat performance that was powered by center Hassan Whiteside's triple-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks, and guard Dwyane Wade's 22 points on 11-of-20 shooting.
Whiteside had seven points, four blocks and four rebounds in the fourth quarter to help the Heat outscore the Hornets 31-23.
Miami (29-22) won for the sixth time in seven games.
Forward Marvin Williams led the Hornets with a season-high 27 points on 12-for-17 shooting. Guard Nicolas Batum added 21 points and seven assists, and guard Kemba Walker had 20 points and six assists.
The Hornets (24-26) led 31-25 after one quarter thanks to balanced play that included nine points from Williams and eight points from Batum.
The second quarter brought the re-emergence of Wade, who was held scoreless in the first. He knocked in 12 points over a six-minute spurt that closed the half. His one-handed, breakaway dunk over forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist gave the Heat a 44-43 lead with 1:09 left before the break.
In the third quarter, Walker left his mark, scoring 10 of Charlotte's 12 points in a streak that lifted the Hornets to a 73-65 advantage with 2:23 remaining in the period.
The Heat was playing the final road game in a stretch of 14 of 16 away from Miami.
Miami did not hit a 3-pointer for the first time this season, going 0-for-9. Charlotte finished 10-for-26 from long range.
NOTES: The Hornets honored former player Alonzo Mourning for his achievements during his Charlotte career in a halftime ceremony. Mourning spent three seasons in Charlotte, 1992-95, and remains the Hornets' all-time leader in blocks (684) and blocks per game (3.2). He currently is the vice president of player programs for the Heat. ... Hornets PG Kemba Walker had his left knee drained Wednesday and missed Charlotte's game against Cleveland that night. It was the first game he missed this season. He was back in the starting lineup Friday. ... Miami started C Amar'e Stoudemire for the second consecutive game, despite usual starter Hassan Whiteside returning from injury Wednesday. Whiteside missed six games with a strained left oblique muscle. Stoudemire scored seven points against the Hornets. ... Heat PG Goran Dragic missed the shootaround with an illness but was in the starting lineup and finished with 12 points and nine assists.