• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Heat finish homestand against hapless Hornets

Jan 30, 2012 - 3:33 PM (Sports Network) - The Miami Heat are coming off a big win over Chicago and hope that they can keep the momentum going tonight versus the New Orleans Hornets in the finale of a three-game homestand.

In what could have been an early playoff preview, the Heat dispatched the Bulls by a 97-93 score Sunday afternoon in South Florida thanks to 35 points and 11 rebounds from LeBron James. Chris Bosh had 24 points and 12 boards for the Heat, whose eight-point lead was trimmed to one with less than three minutes to go in the game.

Dwyane Wade had 15 points and seven assists in a winning effort.

After Rose missed both free throw tries, Chicago was granted new life when James missed two foul shots with 17.6 seconds left. A questionable whistle after the second miss led to a jump ball at center court, and Chicago was forced to foul after Heat guard Mario Chalmers gained possession.

"It was a tough call for both teams, it really was," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. "That is why you have to play everything out to the end of the possession."

Miami has won four in a row and seven of its last eight games, and is unbeaten in the past three contests at home. The Heat, who are 9-2 at home and sit a half-game ahead of Atlanta for the Southeast lead, will play two straight and eight of 10 games on the road following tonight's home tilt with the Hornets.

New Orleans will play three of its next four games on the road and is only 2-6 away from the Big Easy this season. It has lost 10 of 11 games, including Sunday's 94-72 setback versus the Hawks.

Emeka Okafor led the Hornets with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Jarrett Jack and Greivis Vasquez finished with 10 points apiece. New Orleans dropped to 4-16 on the season.

"I thought the effort in the first quarter was kind of there, but not really assertive the way it was." Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "It's certainly a game that you have to flush around the toilet, but I was really disappointed in the effort tonight especially at home with a day in between games."

New Orleans shot just 37.5 percent for the game and made only 3-of-10 shots from beyond the arc.

The Hornets and Heat are meeting for the first time since the two teams split a home-and-home set a year ago. New Orleans has had the upper hand lately in this series, winning six of eight and eight of the last 11 matchups. Miami is 7-2 in the past nine as the host, however.