Heat Win with 5th-Largest Point Differential for a Game 7 in NBA History
The Miami Heat defeated the Charlotte Hornets by a score of 106-73 in Sunday's Game 7 of their opening-round playoff series, marking the fifth-largest point differential (33) in a Game 7 in NBA playoff history, per ESPN Stats & Info.
It was also the largest Game 7 win in franchise history, topping any such victories from the team's four-year LeBron James era.
The rout was led by starting point guard Goran Dragic, who made 11 of his 17 field-goal attempts for a game-high 25 points, also adding six rebounds, four assists and a block, with only a pair of turnovers.
Other key contributors included forward Luol Deng—who had 15 points, eight boards and four assists despite attempting just nine shots in 27 minutes—along with center Hassan Whiteside, who recorded 10 points, 12 rebounds and a series-best five blocks.
Surprisingly enough, star guard Dwyane Wade had a quiet afternoon, tallying just 12 points, six rebounds and an assist over 25 minutes, as he wasn't even needed in the fourth quarter of a blowout.
The Heat will now head to Toronto for Tuesday's Game 1 against a Raptors team that just finished up a seven-game series of its own on Sunday night.
Despite emerging victorious, the Raptors displayed some major flaws in their battle with the Indiana Pacers, shooting at a 39.3 percent clip from the field and 28.2 percent from beyond the arc.
