The Hornets lost 116-114 against the Heat on Monday night at Spectrum Center despite a late comeback attempt.

With a 9-0 run to begin the fourth and a 22-9 run to close the gap to one point, Charlotte rallied from a 14-point deficit. But, the Hornets were unable to reclaim the lead, and Miami managed to hold them off.

After falling behind by so much, the Heat never gave the Hornets a chance to tie the game, and in the last second, Charlotte nearly tied it but for a missed free throw by Terry Rozier, which was turned down because of a lane violation.

By forcing the issue, Miami went to the free throw line 12 more times than the Hornets, and they made 27 of 34 free shots while Charlotte only managed to make 17 of 22.

Tonight, without Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, the Heat were led by 24-point scorer Duncan Robinson and 23-point scorer Jimmy Butler. Twenty points were a career high for ex-Hornet Caleb Martin in a game against his former club.

Rozier had a career-high 13 assists and led the Hornets with 34 points, making it five games in a row in which he has scored 20 or more points. After passing Hornets icon Muggsy Bogues for sixth place all-time in scoring with 5,561 points, the former Louisville Cardinal moved up the rankings.

The Hornets’ season record dropped to 7-14, and they are 2-4 in games played since LaMelo Ball’s injury. With Wednesday night’s rematch in Florida, the familiarity between the two teams could lead to contempt, as the last two meetings versus Miami have been settled by a combined seven points. On Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m., with tip-off at 7:30 p.m., Sports Radio 92.7 WFNZ will air coverage of the second part of the home-and-home with Miami.