Hornets Hold Off Heat 115-110 Behind Brandon Miller’s 34 Points

The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Miami Heat 115-110 on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Spectrum Center, with Brandon Miller leading all scorers with 34 points and adding seven rebounds. Charlotte built a 21-point lead through three quarters before holding off Miami’s fourth-quarter comeback to improve to 2-1.

Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown

First Quarter: Heat 31, Hornets 31

Neither team established an advantage on the scoreboard in the opening period. Miami and Charlotte each scored 31 points, setting up a second quarter that would begin to separate the teams.

Second Quarter: Charlotte Moves Ahead

The Hornets outscored the Heat 35-27 in the second quarter to take a 66-58 halftime lead. Charlotte’s 35 points were its highest total in any period, giving the home team an eight-point cushion after an even opening quarter.

Third Quarter: Hornets Extend the Lead to 21

Charlotte took control with a 30-17 third quarter, extending its advantage to 96-75. Miami’s 17 points represented its lowest-scoring period of the game, while the Hornets completed a two-quarter stretch in which they outscored the visitors by 21.

Fourth Quarter: Miami Narrows the Gap

The Heat outscored Charlotte 35-19 in the final period, reducing the deficit by 16 points. That comeback made the final score considerably closer, but the Hornets retained enough of their lead to finish with a five-point victory in regulation.

Key Performers

• Brandon Miller, Hornets: Led all scorers with 34 points and collected seven rebounds.
• Naz Reid, Hornets: Led Charlotte with nine rebounds as the Hornets finished with a 45-37 advantage on the boards.
• Grayson Allen, Hornets: Recorded a team-high five assists.
• Davion Mitchell, Heat: Led Miami with 22 points and 10 assists, recording a double-double.
• Bam Adebayo, Heat: Collected a team-high eight rebounds.

NerdSports Stat: Charlotte outscored Miami 65-44 across the second and third quarters, but Miami held a 66-50 advantage across the first and fourth. That 21-point middle-quarter edge was enough to offset a 16-point deficit in the other two periods.

Game Analysis: Three-Point Volume Makes the Difference

The teams posted nearly identical shooting percentages, but Charlotte gained an important advantage from beyond the arc. The Hornets made 16 of 43 three-point attempts, compared with Miami’s 13 of 35. Their respective accuracy rates—37.2% and 37.1%—were almost indistinguishable, yet Charlotte’s three additional makes produced a nine-point advantage.

Miami countered with 24 two-point baskets to Charlotte’s 22, a four-point edge. With both teams finishing 23-for-25 at the free-throw line, those scoring differences accounted exactly for the Hornets’ five-point winning margin.

Charlotte also outrebounded Miami 45-37 and shot 43.7% overall, slightly ahead of the Heat’s 43.0%. Both teams recorded 22 assists. Miller supplied the game’s highest individual scoring total, while Mitchell paired Miami’s top scoring performance with a game-high 10 assists.

The clearest concern for Charlotte was its closing quarter: after building a substantial lead, the Hornets were outscored by 16 over the final 12 minutes. For Miami, the late improvement could not fully offset the second- and third-quarter deficit.

Closing Context: Charlotte Improves to 2-1

The Hornets improved to 2-1 overall and 1-1 at home, while the Heat fell to 0-3 overall and 0-1 on the road. Both Eastern Conference teams return to action Monday, October 26: Charlotte hosts the Washington Wizards at 4:00 p.m. PDT, and Miami hosts the Dallas Mavericks at 4:30 p.m. PDT.

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