Hornets 90, Heat 88
MIAMI -- Courtney Lee hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining, and the Charlotte Hornets earned a 90-88 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Charlotte, with a chance to end the best-of-seven set, will host Game 6 on Friday night.
With the Hornets trailing 88-87 in the final minute, Charlotte guard Kemba Walker missed a jumper. But -- for the second game in a row -- Lee came up with a huge offensive rebound. This time, Lee went right back up, hitting his game-deciding 3-pointer.
Marvin Williams led Charlotte with 17 points. The Hornets also got 14 points each from Al Jefferson and Walker. Lee had eight points as Charlotte won its third straight game in the series.
Dwyane Wade had a game-high 25 points, but he missed a shot on a drive to the basket with 2.6 seconds left that could have tied the score on Miami's final possession. Lee blocked Wade's shot from behind, and Wade complained he was fouled -- to no avail.
Wednesday's game was the first time in the series that the home team lost.
The Hornets got good news when forward Nicolas Batum, usually a starter, returned after missing two games due to a foot injury. Batum, one of only six players in the NBA this season to average at least 14 points, six rebounds and five assists, came off the bench Wednesday and produced eight points in 25 minutes.
Miami also got an injured player back in uniform, but he did not play. Guard Tyler Johnson, who had been out after surgery on his left shoulder, suited up for the first time since January.
Charlotte led 28-25 after a back-and-forth first quarter. Miami got off to a 14-6 lead, but Charlotte went on a 14-0 run to key its comeback.
The Hornets started the second quarter on a 15-3 run and led by as many as 12 points. However, Charlotte had to settle for a 49-47 lead at halftime as Wade scored 10 second-quarter points.
Charlotte made five of 10 first-half 3-point attempts. Miami made one of eight.
For the game, the Hornets were 12-for-24 from long distance, the Heat 5-for-18.
Miami surged to a 71-65 lead after three quarters. The Heat held Charlotte to 26.1 percent shooting in the quarter, outscoring the Hornets 24-16.
That set the stage for the fourth quarter, when the Hornets battled back to pull the upset.
NOTES: Heat SG Dwyane Wade entered the series with 152 playoff starts, which was more than the combined total of the Hornets players (123). ... Heat C Hassan Whiteside, who averaged more blocks this season (3.68) than any NBA player since Theo Ratliff in 2000-2001, made his biggest strides on the foul line. He shot 55.2 percent before the All-Star break and 75 percent since. ... Hornets coach Steve Clifford deserves some credit for the team's 15-win improvement from last season. The Hornets make few mistakes, leading the league in lowest number of turnovers. ... G Courtney Lee is the only Hornets player with NBA Finals experience, having played for the 2009 Orlando Magic.