Haslem steps up as Heat edge Hornets out
Udonis Haslem's jump shot with 15.4 seconds left lifted Miami to a 102-101 NBA victory over New Orleans on Sunday.
Haslem finished with 14 points off the bench, including both field goals for Miami in the final minute.
He tied the game at 100 with 45 seconds left, then after Marcus Thornton put the Hornets ahead with a free throw, Haslem won it with a shot from the left side.
Thornton had 24 points and David West added 13 for the Hornets, who are still without injured point guard Chris Paul.
Dwyane Wade scored 31 points for the Heat. Michael Beasley scored 17 points, Jermaine O'Neal added 15 and Mario Chalmers finished with 12 points and nine assists as Miami ended a three-game losing streak.
The play that produced Haslem's game winner didn't unfold according to Miami's plan.
"It was supposed to be a 2-1 pick-and-roll with Dwyane handling it and Mario (Chalmers) setting it, but they trapped and got us out of it well before we even got to that action," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
"It was a broken play and we went from there."
Haslem hit the shot, then helped prevent David West from scoring on the other end.
"That's what UD do. When he's in his spots on the court, he's going to shoot them. We expect him to do that. The shots he hit were big," Wade said.
AFP
