By Matt Rochinski, hornets.com
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The Result
Led by a strong effort from their reserves, the Hornets earned their second-straight preseason victory, 90-77, on Oct. 4 in Miami. Brian Roberts paced Charlotte with a game-high 21 points on 54.5 percent shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc as the Hornets bench outscored the Heat's, 49-42, on the way to the win. Kemba Walker added 17 points as the lone starter scoring in double-digits and Jeremy Lin chipped in 10 more for his second-straight double-digit scoring performance.
Turning Points
After building a double-digit lead late in the third quarter, Charlotte saw the Heat cut the lead to 72-70 with 9:58 remaining in the final frame before Brian Roberts took control of the game for the Hornets. Roberts started a 12-5 Charlotte run with a three-pointer, added two free throws moments later and ended the spurt with another trey as the Hornets lead ballooned to 84-75 with 3:54 remaining. Miami wouldn't get closer than seven points the rest of the way as Roberts closed the scoring with his third three-pointer of the frame with 46.7 seconds remaining.
Inside the Box Score
Brian Roberts (21), Kemba Walker (17) and Jeremy Lin (10) finished in double digits, while eight more Hornets made an appearance on the scoreboard… After scoring seven points and brining down four rebounds in his Charlotte debut, rookie Frank Kaminsky nearly notched a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds to go with three assists… Tyler Hansbrough made his presence felt on the glass, grabbing a game-high 17 boards, including six on the offensive glass, to go with four points… Head Coach Steve Clifford mixed up the Hornets starting lineup, inserting P.J. Hairston (four points, three rebounds) and Jeremy Lamb (eight points, three rebounds) alongside Walker, Marvin Williams (four points, three rebounds) and Cody Zeller (eight points, five rebounds)… Charlotte was outshot 37 percent (30-of-81) to 35 percent (26-of-74) from the field but lit it up from outside the arc, knocking down 41 percent (12-of-29) of its treys, compared to 19 percent (3-of-16) for Miami… The Hornets edged out the Heat on the boards, 52-48, while Miami held a 19-13 advantage in assists.
Hornets Player of the Game
Brian Roberts scored a game-high 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting (54.5 percent), while going 3-of-4 from long range and a perfect 6-of-6 from the line. He added three rebounds and three assists and his three treys were key for the Hornets in the fourth quarter as Charlotte outscored Miami, 21-14, in the deciding fourth quarter.
Heat Player of the Game
Chris Bosh paced four Heat players in double digits with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting (54.5 percent) and brought down a team-high seven rebounds to go with two assists.
Game Notes
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (dislocated right shoulder) missed his first game of the preseason, while Head Coach Steve Clifford gave Nic Batum, Al Jefferson and Spencer Hawes the night off on the second night of a preseason back-to-back… Dwyane Wade and Heat newcomers Gerald Green and Amare Stoudemire all tallied 12 points for Miami.
Next Up
The Hornets head overseas to compete in two games against the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2015 NBA Global Games, starting with a 1:30 a.m. (EST) matchup on Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Shenzhen Universiade Center.