The Charlotte Hornets entered Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Heat, looking to close the gap between them and the injury-riddled Philadelphia 76ers for the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference.
They also hoped to get their revenge on Miami, who handed them an eight-point home loss earlier this month.
Although Charlotte and Miami were separated by two points at halftime, the Hornets exploded after the break for one of their strongest halves of the season.
The Hornets scored 37 points in the third and followed up with even more in the fourth, outscoring the Heat 40-18 in the final frame.
As a result, they cruised to a 30-point victory, winning by a score of 136-106.
LaMelo Ball led the way for Charlotte, finishing with 30 points, 13 assists and six rebounds.
Kon Knueppel had another nice night, finishing with 22 points, two steals and one block.
Coby White also continued his strong play off the bench, scoring 24 points with three rebounds and three assists.
In the win, the Hornets also tied a franchise record, an encouraging sign for the city.
According to the Hornets’ public relations team, Charlotte had a sold-out crowd of 19,478. The sellout marked the 16th of the season for Charlotte, tied for the most in team history.
The Hornets have nine home games remaining, giving them time to set a new franchise mark before the end of the year.
This includes six consecutive home games, part of their current seven-game homestand.
Charlotte will return to action Thursday, hosting the Orlando Magic.
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