NBA PLAYOFFS

Hornets stun Heat, take 3-2 series lead

Charlotte guard Nicolas Batum (middle) goes up for a shot against Miami forward Justise Winslow (20) and guard Gerald Green during the Hornets’ 90-88 victory over the Heat on Wednesday in Miami. The Hornets lead the series 3-2 and can close it out with a victory in Charlotte on Friday.
Charlotte guard Nicolas Batum (middle) goes up for a shot against Miami forward Justise Winslow (20) and guard Gerald Green during the Hornets’ 90-88 victory over the Heat on Wednesday in Miami. The Hornets lead the series 3-2 and can close it out with a victory in Charlotte on Friday.

MIAMI -- Courtney Lee was steaming after missing a layup that would have given Charlotte the lead heading into the final minute.

His anger didn't last long.

Miami's will last for a while.

Lee's three-pointer with 25.2 seconds left put the Hornets ahead to stay, and Charlotte beat the Heat 90-88 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Wednesday night.

The Hornets have won three consecutive games in the series, and will take a 3-2 lead into a potential Game 6 clincher on Friday night.

Miami thought Dwyane Wade was fouled with 2.6 seconds left, then thought they fouled Cody Zeller in an effort to send him to the line as time was running out. Neither call came, and the Heat are on the brink of elimination.

Marvin Williams led the Hornets with 17 points, while Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker each had 14 for Charlotte -- which got its first road playoff victory in 14 years. Jeremy Lin added 11.

Wade scored 25 for Miami, while Luol Deng had 15, Joe Johnson added 13 and Hassan Whiteside finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Lee missed a layup with about a minute left, insisting he got fouled by Wade. But the Heat came up empty on the ensuing possession, and Lee got an offensive rebound and eventually scored on Charlotte's next trip down the floor.

That capped the scoring, as Miami left stunned.

Miami started the game by running out to a 14-6 lead, before the Hornets answered with a 14-0 run -- featuring four three-pointers from four different players. The Hornets finished with five threes in the first quarter for a 28-25 lead, and were holding a 12-point edge when the margin reached 40-28 midway through the second.

That's when Wade got going.

He scored 10 of his 14 first-half points in the final 5:49 before intermission, sparking a 17-7 Miami burst to get within 49-47. Everything in his bag of tricks was working; in that stretch alone he hit a short bank shot, a midrange jumper, a layup, a finger roll off a Eurostep move, and a dunk in traffic that brought the sold-out crowd to its feet.

Charlotte shot just 26 percent in the third, and Miami -- becoming the first team to engineer a second-half lead change in the series -- got the lead out to 71-65 going into the fourth. Josh Richardson made a pair of threes for Miami late in the third, one of them going from a two to a three following a review at the end of the quarter.

It's the first time Charlotte has led a series since winning in the first round against Orlando in 2002, taking that best-of-five 3-1. It's the first lead in a best-of-seven for the Hornets since a 3-2 edge against Milwaukee in the 2001 Eastern Conference semifinals, a series the Bucks would rally to win in seven games.

TRAIL BLAZERS 108, CLIPPERS 98

LOS ANGELES -- CJ McCollum scored 27 points, Damian Lillard added 16 of his 22 in the fourth quarter when Portland pulled away, and the Trail Blazers capitalized on the absence of injured Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 their first-round series.

The Blazers are up 3-2 and could close it out Friday in Portland. If Game 7 is needed, it would be Saturday back at Staples Center.

Maurice Harkless added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Mason Plumlee had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Portland. The Blazers made six three-pointers in the fourth, with Lillard hitting five of his six as they outscored the Clippers 37-27.

J.J. Redick led the Clippers with 19 points. Jamal Crawford added 17 points starting in Paul's place.

Sports on 04/28/2016

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