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Heat-Hornets Preview

Apr 25, 2016 - 4:17 PM When Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing offer basketball advice, you listen.

Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford was all ears after a pair of blowout losses to the Miami Heat to open their Eastern Conference first-round matchup.

A small tweak concerning one of their tallest players helped the Hornets to their first postseason victory in almost 14 years and pulled them back into this series, which continues with Monday night's Game 4 in Charlotte.

Jordan, Charlotte's owner, and Ewing, an assistant coach, approached Clifford following series-opening losses of 123-91 and 115-103 in Miami.

Their message concerning Frank Kaminsky was simple.

"When you have two first-ballot Hall of Famers ... and they both say, 'Post Frank,'" Clifford joked, "you have to post Frank."

The rookie 7-footer attempted one shot in the first two games for four points without playing 20 minutes in either. In Saturday's 96-80 win, Kaminsky logged over 34 minutes and finished 5 of 12 from the field for 15 points with six rebounds.

He scored nine points during a key 18-0 run in the third quarter that broke a tie and helped the Hornets to their fifth straight home win. Jeremy Lin led the hosts with 18 points and Kemba Walker added 17 and seven assists.

Charlotte shot only 38.9 percent but played a nearly mistake-free game. The sixth-seeded Hornets made 21 of 22 free throws and committed only four turnovers - matching a franchise record. Third-seeded Miami finished 19 of 30 from the stripe and turned the ball over 15 times.

The Hornets even did it without one of their best players as Nicolas Batum sat with a strained left foot. Batum, whose 14.9 points per game in the regular season were second only to Walker's 20.9, has been ruled out of Game 4 after being unable to participate in the morning shootaround.

With a new-look starting lineup that featured Kaminsky and 6-foot-10 veteran Al Jefferson inside, the Hornets snapped a 12-game playoff losing streak dating to May 2002. Their last series win came against Orlando in the first round that year. Had Charlotte dropped Game 3, it would have tied New York's record postseason losing streak.

The Heat have largely dominated this series over the last seven seasons, winning 26 of the last 31 games, but four of the Hornets' five wins have come in the last five meetings in Charlotte.

Miami, which has lost six of eight road games, was red-hot at home in the opening two games but cooled off considerably Saturday. The Heat shot 57.8 percent in the pair of blowout victories, including 52.9 from 3-point range, but finished at 34.2 and 31.8 in Game 3. The Hornets also outscored the Heat 52-28 in the paint.

"We made a lot of mistakes," Luol Deng said. "In the first two games, we did a good job of taking away of guys' tendencies."

The 12-year veteran Deng has looked rejuvenated this postseason, averaging 22 points and seven rebounds while shooting 63.9 percent. He knocked down half of his dozen shots for 19 points in Game 3.

However, the remaining four Heat starters and their top two reserves combined to shoot 30.6 percent.

Hassan Whiteside is considered a game-time decision after sitting out Sunday's practice with a bruised right thigh, but the Miami center is receiving treatment and doesn't expect to miss Game 4.

"I'm a pretty tough guy," Whiteside said with a smile.