Walker, Lin help Hornets even series with Heat
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kemba Walker scored a playoff career-high 34 points, Jeremy Lin added 21 and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Miami Heat 89-85 on Monday night to even their first-round series at 2-2.
Walker scored 11 straight Charlotte points in the fourth quarter after Miami had cut the lead to two with 6:07 left. Courtney Lee sank two free throws with 4.6 seconds left after being fouled on an offensive rebound to seal the win.
Lee finished with 11 points and helped hold Dwyane Wade to 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
''We fought so hard tonight,'' Lin said. ''Up 18 and then all of sudden up one. We put everything out there and I'm glad we got the win.''
Game 5 is Wednesday night in Miami.
Joe Johnson led Miami with 16 points, while Luol Deng had 15.
Charlotte dominated in the paint for the second straight game, outscoring Miami 44-30. The Hornets started the game slow, but battled back from an 11-point, first-half deficit to take a 48-39 lead at the break. The Hornets continued to pour it on in the second half, opening with a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 18.
The Heat wouldn't go away, responding with a 17-1 run of their own at one point.