Heat 106, Hornets 73
MIAMI -- Point guard Goran Dragic had a game-high 25 points as the Miami Heat advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, routing the Charlotte Hornets 106-73 in Game 7 on Sunday afternoon at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Miami, which never trailed, also got 15 points from Luol Deng, 12 points from Dwyane Wade and 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks from Hassan Whiteside.
The Heat will play the winner of Sunday night's Game 7 between the Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers.
In franchise history, Miami is 6-3 in Game 7s. Before Sunday, the Heat's most recent Game 7 came in 2013, when they beat the San Antonio Spurs for the NBA championship.
Charlotte, which just a few days ago had a 3-2 series lead, failed to close out the Heat. Hornets guard Kemba Walker, who had 37 points against Miami on Friday, was held to nine points on 3-for-16 shooting. He also had a team-high three turnovers.
The Heat outrebounded the Hornets 58-36.
Miami had the advantage from the start, taking a 29-18 lead after the first quarter. The Heat dominated the rebounding battle overall (17-7) and on the offensive glass (6-0).
The Heat stretched their lead to 54-42 at halftime. Dragic had 17 points in the first half, and Miami had a 32-17 edge in paint points.
Miami raced to a 20-4 start to the third quarter and headed into the final period with an 83-53 lead. The Hornets' season, which became doomed midway through the third quarter, was nailed shut in the fourth.
Heat guard Tyler Johnson, who hadn't played since January due to shoulder surgery, got into the game in the fourth quarter and scored five points, capping Miami's huge win.
NOTES: Hornets G/F Nicolas Batum (left foot) played, but Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said his player is "not 100 percent". ... Heat G Josh Richardson (left shoulder) played despite being sore. ... The Hornets are the only team to beat the Heat in Miami since March 1. ... The Hornets' fan with courtside seats for Game 6 in Charlotte -- identified by ESPN broadcasters as "purple-shirt Guy" -- is actually Michael Deason, 43, and he got a lot of notoriety on Twitter for his heckling of Heat G Dwyane Wade. In published reports, Deason said he told Wade he should retire. That was just before Wade hit his first two 3-pointers of the calendar year to help Miami win. ... Wade's first 3-pointer ended his 0-for-21 drought from distance. "They woke up a sleeping giant," Richardson said of Wade and Charlotte's fans.