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Vikings' Asher Allen retires at age 24
MIAMI, April 16 (UPI) -- Jamal Mashburn scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter Tuesday night as the Charlotte Hornets erased a double-digit deficit to sweep the Miami Heat for the first time in franchise history, 88-81.
Charlotte (43-38) moved into a fifth-place tie with Philadelphia in the NBA Eastern Conference with one game remaining. The Hornets close the season at home vs. Chicago, while Philadelphia plays at Indiana.
After Eddie House hit a jumper to give the Heat a 77-66 advantage with 8:25 remaining, the Hornets embarked on a 22-4 run to close the contest.
Mashburn gave Charlotte the lead for good at 80-79 on a pair of free throws with 3:26 left, then added a turnaround jumper and 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch.
Miami (35-46), which was paced by Alonzo Mourning's 25 points and 11 rebounds, will miss the postseason for the first time since 1995. It will be the first time in Pat Riley's 20 seasons in the league that a team he has coached will miss the playoffs.
Charlotte led 31-29 midway through the second quarter before Miami went on a mini-burst to take a 52-43 lead at halftime.
The Heat increased their lead to 71-60 entering the fourth quarter but shot just 18 percent in the final 12 minutes (4-of-22) while the Hornets connected on 44 percent (8-of-18).
The Hornets defeated the Heat in their two prior encounters this season. It is the first sweep of season series by one of the teams since they entered the NBA in 1988.
Starting Hornets power forward P.J. Brown sprained his left ankle late in the third quarter after landing on the foot of Heat backup center Sean Marks. Brown hobbled off the court and did not return.
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