The Miami Heat defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 108 - 101, at American Airlines Arena on Wednesday. These are two teams battling for a playoff spot in the East and it had that sort of atmosphere. This was tight throughout, as there were eight ties and 11 lead changes, with neither team leading by more than 12 points. Miami took care of business in the fourth quarter, outscoring Charlotte, 27 - 15. Rebounding was a huge factor, with the Heat winning that battle, 46 - 39. They also dominated the assists differential, winning that, 22 - 14. The Hornets (28 - 36) have just four wins in their last 11 games and losses like this are crucial to their pursuit of a playoff berth. Kemba Walker did all he could, leading the team with 33 points and four rebounds. Nicolas Batum finished second on the team, accumulating 16 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Marvin Williams amassed 14 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals. On deck for Charlotte is a home matchup against the Orlando Magic on Friday. The Heat (31 - 34) have now gotten their winning streak to three games, as they continue their incredible run, now sitting within a game of the eight - seed in the East. Dion Waiters led the team with 24 points, three rebounds and five assists. Goran Dragic accrued 22 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. Hassan Whiteside recorded a double - double, totaling 10 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and four blocks. James Johnson was a nice spark off the bench, collecting 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. Miami will look to keep rolling on Saturday in a home matchup with the Toronto Raptors.
["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 22 Number of team assists ,has 34 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 27 Points in 4th quarter ,has 31 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 14 Number of team assists ,has 36 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 15 Points in 4th quarter ,has 28 Wins ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Marvin Williams') has 3 Assists ,has 14 Blocks ,has 12 Points ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Nicolas Batum') has 16 Assists ,has 7 Blocks ,has 4 Points ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Kemba Walker') has 33 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Hassan Whiteside') has 4 Assists ,has 10 Blocks ,has 15 Points ,has 2 Total rebounds ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Dion Waiters') has 5 Assists ,has 24 Blocks ,has 3 Points ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Goran Dragic') has 10 Assists ,has 22 Blocks ,has 6 Points ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'James Johnson') has 5 Assists ,has 10 Blocks ,has 6 Points ."]