Reaction and postscripts from Miami’s Game 3 loss tonight in Charlotte, leaving the Heat ahead 2-1 with Game 4 at 7 p.m. Monday in North Carolina:

• The Heat’s offensive joyride derailed badly Saturday evening, and if you believe in the law of averages, this wasn’t all that shocking.

Disappointing, and troubling, considering the debacle in Boston 10 nights ago, but not shocking for a team that has played much better at home than on the road in recent weeks.

The Heat is 2-6 in its last eight road games, including drubbings in San Antonio (forgivable) and Portland, bad losses against the Lakers and Orlando, and prolonged third quarter collapses in Boston and Charlotte tonight.

After averaging 119 points and shooting 58 percent in its first two playoffs in Miami, the Heat careened, finishing at just 34 percent from the field in a 96-80 Game 3 loss.

With the score tied at 53 in the third, the Hornets unleashed an 18-0 stampede from which Miami never recovered. The Heat shot 0 for 9 during that stretch and 9 for 43 from the field during an extended stretch in the second and the third.

And there was this ignominious stat: Frank Kaminsky nearly outscored the Heat on his own in the third. He had 13 points in the third, just one fewer than Miami’s 14.

• The Heat opened 10 for 15 from the field, then shot 17 for 64 (26 percent) the rest of the way, including 2 for 15 on threes.

• The shooting numbers were ugly for all Heat perimeter players except Luol Deng. Dwyane Wade was 7 for 20 on a 17-point night. Goran Dragic (11 points) was 4 for 13. Joe Johnson (7 points) was 3 for 11. Josh Richardson, off the bench, was 1 for 5, scoring just two. Justise Winslow was 1 for 7, finishing with four.

Luol Deng made four early threes, closing with 19 points (6 for 12) and seven rebounds but a team-high four turnovers.

Hassan Whiteside gave Miami 13 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks but took only six shots. He has 51 points, 42 rebounds and five blocks in his first three playoff games. Per ESPN, the only other players to do that in their first three playoff games in the past 30 years were Shaquille O'Neal and David Robinson.

Charlotte shot just 38.9 percent but had just 3 – 3! – turnovers, which was a major factor. The Heat had 14 turnovers.

• Credit Charlotte coach Steve Clifford for going with a big lineup, with Kaminsky replacing injured Nic Batum.

Erik Spoelstra put Wade on Kaminsky in the third quarter and it didn’t work, with Deng shifting to cover Kemba Walker and Goran Dragic on Courtney Lee.

“Size has been an issue for us. But the bigger thing for us tonight is we were more intense, more disciplined,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “We played a lot harder, a lot smarter and we were a lot more organized.”

Clifford said assistant coach Patrick Ewing is always saying: “We have to post Frank more.” Hornets owner Michael Jordan expressed the same sentiment. And so Clifford did that in the third, though Wade said only one of those postups came personally against him in the third. Kaminsky holds an eight-inch height advantage on Wade.

Spoelstra’s reason for putting Wade on Kaminsky? “Obviously it didn’t go great, but whatever, we have to be able to defend whatever matchups are,” Spoelstra said. “Goran had three fouls. We didn’t want him to pick up a quick one to start the third quarter.”

Kaminsky said he was surprised that the Heat put Wade on him.

"I've guarded fours before," Wade said, also citing Dragic's foul trouble as a reason for the move.

• Wade, afterward, to Sun Sports’ Jason Jackson and others: “They are a desperate team. They played the way you would expect a team to play 2-0 going home. They got role players to step up. Jeremy Lin early was very aggressive. That’s why they’re a good team….

“We had some shots that didn’t go in but that’s basketball. They protect the paint very well. They continued to pour it on. I’m not going to say we just missed shots. They won the ball game. Their effort was greater. They deserved to win. We have to do a better job of trying to get some deflections, try to make it a little tougher on them. We can’t bank of them turning it over 16, 18 times. That’s out of their character. Lin is dynamic going to the basket. Frank made an impact.

“We came up here to try to find a way to get one ballgame. We have to come back tomorrow and find ways we can get better.... There's a reason we both had the same record. They're just as good a team as we are when they get to their game.”

• The Hornets snapped their postseason losing streak at 12, one short of the NBA record. It was also the first playoff win for this incarnation of the Hornets.

"This organization has been successful in a lot of areas, just not on the court in playoff games,” Clifford said. “Coach [Pat] Riley gets credit when you say it’s a make or miss league. On nights you make, it looks good. On nights you miss, it looks bad.”

• Couple noteworthy items from Sun Sports: Tony Fiorentino noted Miami had only three assists the entire second half. And Eric Reid noted Joe Johnson has had consecutive single-digit scoring games in the playoffs for the first time since his rookie season. He's played in 90 playoffs games.

• Spoelstra, afterward: “All three games, what it’s been is a big burst of energy and momentum that either side has been able to separate. They were closing out to open shooters, making us put the ball on the floor, doing a good job corralling our drives. We were never able to get into an offensive rhythm. And we weren’t able to have enough stops to keep it close.”

“Kaminsky and [Jeremy Lin] gave them a big boost tonight... We’re going to have to continue to go to school.”

• Besides Kaminsky’s good work, Lin had 18 points and Kemba Walker 17. Marvin Williams --- who was 1 for 17 in the first two games --- rebounded with a 12-point night, shooting 5 for 9.

• Clifford said the swelling in Batum's ankle has gone down but couldn't say his status for Game 4.

• Game 4 is 7 p.m. Monday on Sun Sports. (NBA TV’s cablecast will be blacked out in South Florida). Game 5 is 8 p.m. Wednesday.... Manny Navarro and Ethan Skolnick will have more from Charlotte later tonight.

BOSH NEWS

• Please click here for some new behind-the-scenes information that Ethan and I learned regarding the Chris Bosh situation.

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