MANILA, Philippines – The Miami Heat outfought the Charlotte Hornets in a double overtime win, 111-107, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Thursday (Friday, Manila time).
In a game that saw both teams trade baskets, it was Miami who got the last laugh on the road to send the Hornets to a three-game losing streak.
Kyle Lowry, who proved crucial to force the game into a second overtime, made a cutting layup to pad the Heat's lead to four, 109-105, with 21.1 ticks remaining in the game to shut the door on the Hornets.
Bam Adebayo then blocked Kelly Oubre's 3-point attempt in the next possession to seal the deal.
Duncan Robinson hit two free throws and PJ Washington converted on a consolation putback layup to arrive at the final score.
The game saw players from both teams log extended minutes with Jimmy Butler leading all players with over 50 minute of playing time.
He finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
But it was Lowry who top scored for Miami with 25 points in 46 minutes.
For Charlotte, it was Miles Bridges who led the pack with 29 markers.
Bridges hit clutch shots of his own to keep the Hornets within striking distance late in double-overtime.
LaMelo Ball, meanwhile, was forced to watch the end of the game at the sidelines as he fouled out.
He did, however, tallied a triple-double of 14 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.
The Heat thus join the Chicago Bulls at the top of the Eastern Conference standings with identical 38-21 slates.
Elsewhere, the Washington Wizards sent the Brooklyn Nets back to the losing column with a 117-103 victory at the Barclays Center.
The Wizards outscored their opponents in the fourth quarter 39-25 to pull away for the win.
The Nets were without any of their stars as Kyrie Irving missed the game still due to his vaccination status.
Rui Hachimura paced the Wizards with 20 points.
Meanwhile, Patty Mills led the way for the depleted Nets with 22 markers.