The Miami Heat had many things to fix between their first and second games of the season.
They will see how their changes work out when they face the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.
“You don’t need stats to see it,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said about the team’s problems in their season-opening 116-97 loss to the Orlando Magic. “You can feel it.”
The Hornets came back from being down by 18 points to win their season opener against Houston on Wednesday, but then they lost 125-120 at Atlanta on Friday, despite LaMelo Ball scoring 34 points.
Ball was responsible for 10 of Charlotte’s 18 turnovers, and he fouled out with over three minutes left, so there are things to improve.
“I also don’t like the fact that they shoot 38 free throws,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “Those are some of the things that we can control. I think we’re going to learn from (Friday night’s game).”
Saturday will be the first regular-season home game for the Hornets under Lee. Miami hasn’t played since their loss to the Magic on Wednesday. The Heat’s defense struggled too often in some matchups.
“We need to shore that up,” Spoelstra said. “We will get better with that.” The Heat were frustrated by the mistakes, especially with the high expectations for the season.
“We kind of fell apart there in the second half on both sides of the floor,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said. “That can’t happen for a team like us. We want to compete for a championship.”
Former Hornet Terry Rozier led the Heat with 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists. However, Miami ended up scoring less than 100 points, which also happened in all four of their losses during a five-game first-round playoff series against the eventual champion Boston Celtics last spring.
Miami shot 39 percent from the field and only grabbed nine offensive rebounds compared to Orlando’s 18. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo combined to make just 2 of 13 shots and went 0 for 4 from three-point range, but Adebayo did get to the free-throw line 10 times. They finished with only 12 points together (with nine from Adebayo).
The team seemed out of sync, especially compared to the strong performances during the preseason.
“Offensively, we have to trust some of the things we’ve been working on,” Spoelstra said.
The Magic had a significant 57-41 rebounding advantage over Miami.
Last season, the Heat won all four games against Charlotte, including two by six points or fewer. In their last matchup, Adebayo scored a team-high 24 points in a 104-87 victory. Miami has beaten Charlotte in 11 of their last 13 games.
The Hornets will be without second-year guard Brandon Miller, who got hurt in the opener and won’t return until at least Nov. 1.
Lee expressed concern about losing Miller. “He brings a lot on both sides of the floor,” the coach said.
Charlotte center Mark Williams did not play in the team’s first two games. Heat forward Kevin Love (personal reasons) and center Kel’el Ware (illness) will also miss the game on Saturday.
