Miami (25-18) at Charlotte (11-32) 7:30 pm EST
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Looking for an easy target
to recover from a tough loss at home, the Miami Heat on Friday will
visit the Charlotte Bobcats, who have lost nine straight games.
The Heat fell to 2-2 on a four-game homestand after Thursday's
107-98 loss to Phoenix, a game in which Miami trailed by as many
as 21 points in the second half.
Dwyane Wade scored 25 points and Shaquille O'Neal and Antoine
Walker each had double-doubles, but the Heat were hurt by a
12-of-22 (55 percent) effort from the free-throw line.
Point guard Jason Williams, who ranks third on the team in
scoring with a 14.5 average and second in assists at 5.0, missed
the loss after cutting his finger in a weightlifting accident.
The Bobcats had two 10-game losing streaks in their inaugural
2004-05 season and moved to the verge of another with
Wednesday's 102-78 loss at Houston, the club's fourth in a row
by double digits.
Matt Carroll came off the bench to lead five players in double
figures with 19 points. Brevin Knight added 14 and seven assists
for Charlotte, which offered little resistance with a host of
players stuck on the sidelines out of uniform.
The Bobcats do not expect to get any of their key components
back from injury Friday when they try to improve on a 1-4
all-time mark against the Heat.





