The Charlotte Hornets defeated Miami Heat with a 109-106 victory at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Thursday.

Al Jefferson had a double-double game of 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Kemba Walker scored 21 points grabbed seven boards and dished out seven assists to lead the Hornets to their 39^th win in 68 games played this season.

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"Day by day, [we] try to get better, good shootaround, have a good practice, film session," head coach Steve Clifford, who guided Charlotte to15 victories in their last 18 games, said. "That's the way you have to do it. I believe we have the right kind of guys. They're serious minded and I think our approach is good right now."

With the win, the Hornets have created a three-way tie with fourth-place Boston Celtics and with Miami Heat in the fifth spot. The three teams have an identical 39 wins and 29 losses, which is not so far behind the third-best Atlanta Hawks, who hold a 40-29 record in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race.

"It's fun now," Walker, who went 7 for 18 from the field and connected 4 of 9 from beyond the arc, said. "It's a race. It's a battle."

The Heat could have scored a shot to force overtime, but Dwyane Wade, who finished the night with just 11 points while shooting 3 for 13 from the floor, missed an open 3-pointer as the time expired.

Starters Luol Deng and Joe Johnson scored 22 points and 13 points respectively for the Micky Arison ball squad.

Reserve Josh Richardson added 18 and Hassan Whiteside contributed 17 for the Heat, who have lost three of their last ten games.

Miami dominated in the first half of the game, outscoring the visiting team in the first half 29-26 and even extended their lead to 15 points 45-30 in the 6^th minute of the second quarter. But the Hornets hang on and relentlessly fought back to end the halftime leading 54-52.

Charlotte continued with a 28-21 run in the third quarter before wrapping up the win.

TagsNBA, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Kemba Walker, Al Jefferson, Dwyane Wade, Eastern Conference