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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 3-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 straight 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 win 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 3-pointers from four different players. The Hornets finished with five 3s 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 3s for Miami late in the third, one of them going from a 2 to a 3 following a review at the end of the quarter.
TIP-INS
Hornets: Williams was 1 for 17 in the first two games of the series at Miami. He needed only 4:53 of Wednesday's game to better that, going 2 for 3 in the opening minutes. ... Nic Batum (left foot) returned after a two-game absence, coming off the bench and finished with eight points in 26 minutes.
Heat: Miami's home winning streak ended at eight. ... Josh McRoberts was Miami's second player off the bench, getting his initial first-half action of the series. Amar'e Stoudemire, Dorell Wright and Udonis Haslem all didn't play, after getting time earlier in the series. ... Miami activated G Tyler Johnson, who hasn't played since late January while recovering from shoulder surgery. Briante Weber took his spot on the inactive list, alongside Chris Bosh (blood clots).
3-2 LEADS
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. —
NBA playoffs
Best-of-7 first round, x-if necessary
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Cleveland 4, Detroit 0
Game 1 • Cleveland 106, Detroit 101
Game 2 • Cleveland 107, Detroit 90
Game 3 • Cleveland 101, Detroit 91
Game 4 • Cleveland 100, Detroit 90
Toronto 3, Indiana 2
Game 1 • Indiana 100, Toronto 90
Game 2 • Toronto 98, Indiana 87
Game 3 • Toronto 101, Indiana 85
Game 4 • Indiana 100, Toronto 83
Game 5 • Indiana 102, Toronto 99
Friday • Toronto at Indiana, TBD
Sunday • Indiana at Toronto, TBD
Charlotte 3, Heat 2
Game 1 • Miami 123, Charlotte 91
Game 2 • Miami 115, Charlotte 103
Game 3 • Charlotte 96, Miami 80
Game 4 • Miami 89, Charlotte 85
Game 5 • Charlotte 90, Miami 88
Friday • Miami at Charlotte, TBD
x-Sunday • Charlotte at Miami, TBD
Atlanta 3, Boston 2
Game 1 • Atlanta 102, Boston 101
Game 2 • Atlanta 89, Boston 72
Game 3 • Boston 111, Atlanta 103
Game 4 • Boston 104, Atlanta 95 OT
Game 5 • Atlanta 110, Boston 83
Thursday • Atlanta at Boston, 6 p.m.
x-Saturday • Boston at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Golden State 3, Houston 1
Game 1 • Golden State 104, Rockets 78
Game 2 • Golden State 115, Houston 106
Game 3 • Houston 97, Golden State 96
Game 4 • Golden State 121, Houston 94
Game 5 • Houston at Golden State, late
x-Friday • Golden State at Houston, TBD
x-Sunday • Houston at Golden State, TBD
San Antonio 4, Memphis 0
Game 1 • San Antonio 106, Memphis 74
Game 2 • San Antonio 94, Memphis 68
Game 3 • San Antonio 96, Memphis 87
Game 4 • San Antonio 116, Memphis 95
Oklahoma City 4, Dallas 1
Game 1 • Oklahoma City 108, Dallas 70
Game 2 • Dallas 85, Oklahoma City 84
Game 3 • Oklahoma City 131, Dallas 102
Game 4 • Oklahoma City 119, Dallas 108
Game 5 • Oklahoma City 118, Dallas 104
Portland 3, L.A. Clippers 2
Game 1 • L.A. Clippers 115, Portland 95
Game 2 • L.A. Clippers 102, Portland 81
Game 3 • Portland 96, L.A. Clippers 88
Game 4 • Portland 98, L.A. Clippers 84
Game 5 • Portland 108, L.A. Clippers 98
Friday • L.A. Clippers at Portland, TBD
x-Sunday • Portland at L.A. Clippers, TBD
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Cleveland vs. Atlanta-Boston winner
Monday • Atlanta-Boston at Cleveland, 5 p.m.
Wednesday • Atlanta-Boston at Cleveland, 6 p.m.
May 6 • Cleveland at Atlanta-Boston, 5 p.m.
May 8 • Cleveland at Atlanta-Boston, 1:30 p.m.
x-May 10 • Atlanta-Boston at Cleveland, TBA
x-May 12 • Cleveland at Atlanta-Boston, TBA
x-May 15 • Atlanta-Boston at Cleveland, TBA
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio
Saturday • Okla. City at San Antonio, TBD
Monday • Okla. City at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.
May 6 • San Antonio at Okla. City, 7:30 p.m.
May 8 • San Antonio at Okla. City, 6 p.m.
x-May 10 • Okla. City at San Antonio, TBA
x-May 12 • San Antonio at Okla. City, TBA
x-May 15 • Okla. City at San Antonio, TBA