(Photo via Miami Heat/X)
First win of the 2025-26 season. Franchise record for most points scored in a half (86). Eight players score in double-digits. 76 bench points…
All is true following the Miami Heat’s dominant 146-114 win on Friday night, running Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies off their home floor. The Heat respond from coming up just short in their season opener to earn the bounce back victory and even up their regular season record at 1-1.
This game had Miami’s imprints all over it from the start. Coach Erik Spoelstra’s revamped fast paced offense had the Heat jump out to an early double-digit lead, and the squad never looked back. It began with Bam Adebayo’s 18-point first quarter explosion, where the All-Star big man nailed 4 out of 5 attempts from 3-point range in the process.
The captain would go on to finish with a team-high 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a +25 on the floor.
Uncoincidentally, Adebayo looked much more comfortable on offense with Kel’el Ware’s addition back into the starting lineup. Ware was given the starting nod in favor of Nikola Jovic in this matchup, which allowed Adebayo to slide back to the power forward position once again.
The Heat looked like a much better team on both ends with Kel’el Ware getting extended minutes.
Ware made a huge case for himself to remain in that first unit, as well. The talented 7-footer added 19 points and 8 boards on the night. His size and paint presence was felt all throughout the game.
But the scoring contributions don’t stop there. The now trending “KD trade package” including Ware, Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. all showed out. Despite Jovic’s demotion to the bench, the versatile forward still led the second unit with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists himself.
Jaquez made his mark with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. The third-year forward has looked like his rookie year self again to open the new season, with his footwork, playmaking and craftiness all adding a huge spark offensively.
Lastly, but certainly not least, Heat newcomer Simone Fontecchio came out on a heater during the second quarter. The Italian sharpshooter nailed 4/4 attempts from 3-point range, to go along with 14 points and 5/5 shooting overall in the period. He and Adebayo combined for 8/9 buckets from deep alone in the game’s first 16+ minutes.
The Heat offense looked fast, lethal and unstoppable, as they never took their foot off the gas.
Miami finished the night going a scorching 54% from the field and 48% from deep as a team. They won the rebounding battle 57-41, including 17 offensive rebounds.
They will now look to carry this impressive win into a tough matchup against the New York Knicks for their home opener on Sunday.
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There are still four winless teams in the NBA. Dallas, Houston, Indiana and Boston are all 0-2. I have a feeling this is going to be a very strange season in the Eastern Conference.
We should have a good idea in what direction(s) Miami and the league are headed after game 23 on December 5th. If the team gets out of that ruthless stretch still in one piece (over .500), I have a very positive feeling about the potential for a successful season and postseason.
RC, me and others discussed the need for our younger players to take a step up in their productivity in order for the team to be more competitive. Ware, Jaquez and Jovic appear to be stepping up.
It looks like that and other positive things are happening. The team is visibly improving. As examples, veterans such as Powell, Mitchell and Fontecchio are playing very well (maybe better than expected/hoped). Now, if Bam, Wiggins and Larsson can get their games up to snuff, the team could do some serious damage this year. Anything Jakucionis or Johnson can do to help Miami win games this season would be an unexpected plus.
That optimistic projection does not take into consideration the possible acquisition of a good-very good back-up PF/C. Furthermore, it doesn’t consider Herro’s return and the potential positive or negative impact that may have on the team’s overall productivity/performance. If he is truly worth serious money in an extension (e.g., $40M per year for 3 years), it’s time for him to prove it as a playmaking PG. The Heat doesn’t need another SG. Powell is handling that job very well. 21/6/8 seem like realistic goals. Otherwise, I see no other option than to trade him before the deadline for the best possible players and/or draft picks.
Uh-oh, this quote is going be like an ice cream sundae with a cherry on top for a certain someone.
You can’t really scout plays for us. There are no plays. In the whole first half, I don’t think Spo ran a play,” Adebayo said in the wake of his 24-point performance against the Grizzlies.
spos gonna draw up a play for wade lebron bosh lol
your boy coward scored 27 tonight
norman powell has made this team better.hes quite a player.great team and indiv player.what a find by pat.
Imagine when we get Herro back, the offense might be even more deadly with 2 go to shot makers, so opps will have to pick there poison. I also think this fast pace will increase Tyler’s playmaking. Also Ik its early but I’m calling it now….stormin Norman will be an all star this year lol.
They do not need to be starting together
Tell that to spo
ty will mess things up im trading his ass asap.not sure what u can get but powells more of a team player than herro and can get his shot like ty can.need big help got lots 6 4 -67 dudes 30.
It’s premature to trade him until he is given the opportunity to demonstrate if he can modify his game to fit the team’s faster pace, if he is willing to be more of a playmaking PG than a shoot first SG and if he can function adequately in Miami’s defensive scheme.
Time will tell.
tys a quality player to get us a quality big.hes not needed as much as a 3rd pf/c.when only bam or ware are on the ct against the good big teams were gonna get killed on the boards .jjj is playing great having him go against pfs isnt fair to him hes just not big enough.jovic has the size but hes not a power player.the team looks great w/o ty similar to when he got hurt versus milw and we played great.i dont think hes a good team player.hes a very talented offensive player when fresh and healthy but that doesnt last to long.i proposed ty for portis sun.
Portis and ? He is a sub and is paid less than half as much as Bam.
Oops. Half as much as Herro.
forget it work herro into the second group.dru ty fonzi jjj shnozic(bam ware) one to many thats 11 swedish swish maybe makes it a dozen to many little ones.perfect for spo small ball
Impressive.
Best Heat ball in years.
I m looking forward for more.
Yes, sir. I know the type of ball and team you like to watch and I kept thinking you were so excited watching that we were going to see you pop up in the game thread 3 AM local time. 😉
Niko let the game come to him last night and scored an effortless 20. We need more of that
He plays better off the bench. Less pressure and playing vs second units. Same with Dri, Jaquez and Fontecchio
Heat always lose when watch games live, so better not. But I intended to show up at the champion parade in Miami, when the time will come. Just need to remind myself to delete jokes about certain people on my phone, otherwise I wont be let into the country.
Agreed
nice win. two good games to start the season. I’m not bought in yet, but I’m definitely not out
that blazer team looking good beat gsw by 20 almost beat minn.dame back when?
this is a heat chat room
Ha!
rc the og of hhh says its ok to talk about other teams
Only if you talk bad about them too.
The Knicks will provide a true measuring stick. But, no matter what happens, we are close now, closer than last year.
In the same way, I’m not quite at “I told you so,” but if we can keep up this momentum through the first ten games, I am definitely going to be talking so much shit about all of the doomsayers who kept acting like we were the Charlotte Hornets all offseason.
Offseason? Game 1 thread in 4th and Niko article. It was just 2 days ago lol
Team is still one injury (Bam or Ware) away from mediocrity. Fontecchio looks like a good alternative to Duncan. Better defender. Powell is looking legit. Team has very good depth.
See, this is the kind of shit I’m talking about. *EVERY* team is one injury away from mediocrity. Literally, the Indiana Pacers were in Game 7 of the NBA finals, and they had *one injury* and now they are in mediocrity. Celtics had *one injury* and now they’re in mediocrity. Like, thank you for telling me that the sky is blue?
Nuggies were 4-8 last year when Jokic didn’t play. Would you say that Denver is “one injury away from mediocrity?”
Keep in mind, we’ve *already* got an injured starter, and we’re (so far, holding breath) doing okay. Would have been nice to win in Orlando, but we mostly played well even there. We don’t have to be cheerleaders, but we also don’t have to go around inventing problems.
My only point is that Riley hasn’t addressed the 800lb gorilla in the room. Depth in the front court. Strong team with depth otherwise. Not screaming that the sky is falling. Just suggesting that Riley should cover the team’s flank or pay for it later. A good PF/C to play on second unit and split time with Ware and Bam would be awesome. Not talking about Precious either.
To be fair our upside is what, a scrappy second round out?
How we get there is important, at least it’s entertainment value to me is. And so far so delightful, and honestly surprising, on that front.
It kinda makes it fun to envision Herro in this offense.
We’ll get there when we get there. Miami’s done improbable things in the playoffs before. But we’re literally two games into the season, and most of the signs are positive. Let’s just appreciate that for now.
in the weakened east the kings of the east will be here sunday good measuring stick
I am going to take a second here and espouse the need for a middle ground between utter homerism and hypercriticality. Both are extreme positions. What if we lose the next five and it turns out last night was merely a reflection of a Grizzly playing the stats under. Just kidding, but sincerely, what are you guys going to say if we do underperform over the next ten. We are all in this together and you can talk all the shit you want and feel superior as hell and I will be happy for all of you that do if this is a positive turning point. Just, let’s accept each other, all of us, the Heat can do no wrongers and the Heat suck folks, as they all contribute their passionate opinions and bring something to this site. All I want is for everyone to say what they honestly think and that’s good enough for me.
Good point 30. In the offseason, I opined about several players and the team in general. I said I believed Powell was going to have a greater impact than many expected. That Jovic was, indeed, an NBA rotation player with a unique combination of skills and size. That Mitchell was a junkyard dog type player. That Wiggins is a solid rotation player. I hoped Ware would use the physical gifts he had every game. I had no idea what to expect from Jaquez or Simone beyond their potential. I am excited to see what Kaspar brings to the table. And I still get nervous every time Dru falls down. I felt this team would be fun to watch, especially with the weight of the Butler drama off their shoulders. But, based on the fact they have been a play-in team 3 years in a row, there was/is plenty of room for skepticism and criticism. Admittedly, the level of negativity was too grating at times, but the same might be said about being overly positive. A few of us have often said we are glass half full types that look for the good. This site is for opinions, including those that differ from mine. I just try to be objective.
See, from my perspective I’ve been at the middle ground. If we underperform, I’ll look at both what we did well and what we did poorly, and talk about where we can go from there. But we’re *not* underperforming at the moment, and folks are still talking about trading Herro and retiring Riley.
That’s not just a little bit insane to you?
I give credit where it is due. Riley brought in Wiggins, Mitchell, Powell, Jakucionis and Fontecchio and got rid of quitter, Love, Anderson, Highsmith and Uncan. Not a bad haul at all. As RC said, some of us are glass half full types but also realists. This team is one or two trades away from being really good and one or two injuries away from the lottery. I’m just hoping that Riley does everything he can to elevate the Heat from perennial play-in team to contender. For example, re-signing Powell 3years/$77M s good. Paying Herro 4 years/$200M+ is bad. Like Jovic, Jaquez is also due for a raise. The jury is still out on Wiggins. The sooner Miami signs Ware to an extension, the better.
We just want to get better. We went 37-45 last year. We are 1-1 now. No need to imply that anyone is insane for having ideas that will possibly lead the Heat back to the promised land. I know we disagree on some issues, and that’s good by me too. I just want you to contribute your ideas, be that as it may. It’s always better with your input.
I have been regularly pushing back for more than a year against the ‘Riley is washed up’ type comments. Jaquez (18), Ware (15), Jovic (27), maybe Kaspar (20), and trades for Powell, Mitchell, and Simone indicate there’s still some juice left in that EV.
On the other hand, I am not against trading Herro (I’ve been one of his biggest supporters) or any other player, as long as you get a fair return that improves the team.
Amen! I think we have, for the most part been the voices of reason. We’ve been here winter, spring, summer and fall. This has not been an overnight process. Getting rid of the stench of last season’s quitter debacle hasn’t been easy. It’s not over yet. There are several positive signs, which both of us have been hoping for. As I have indicated recently, let’s see where the team is after their first 8 games and again after 23. Herro’s return will tell us what we need to know about the rest of the season, one way or another. I still can’t stress the importance of acquiring another good
big for the frontcourt rotation.