Boston
Stevens said Wednesday that he’d gotten all positive updates on the All-Star guard’s status, who limped to the locker room with a mild left ankle sprain in the closing minutes of Tuesday’s 110-83 loss in Atlanta. Stevens said Thomas didn’t experience much swelling and “he feels good.” Boston hosts Atlanta tonight.
Thomas averaged 35 points in two victories at Boston that evened the series, but managed only seven points Tuesday as the Hawks took a 3-2 series lead.
Stevens said it’s still unlikely that Avery Bradley will be able to return this series after sitting out his fourth straight game with a strained right hamstring.
He said Bradley did do some jogging recently, but experienced some soreness afterward.
Miami
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.