The Miami Heat have come out to open the season on a sizzling start on both ends of the floor. And that continued on Tuesday night after Miami dominated the visiting Charlotte Hornets on route to another impressive 144-117 win.
Their 144 points was good to tie for the fourth-highest in franchise history. The revamped fast paced Heat offense has been unstoppable, as they will now improve to a 3-1 record thus far on the season.
Both of the team’s near 24 points per game scorers in Tyler Herro and Norman Powell were sidelined in this matchup— making the Heat’s continued offensive dominance that much more impressive. Powell was a late addition on the injury report this afternoon and was downgraded from questionable to out closer to tip-off time. He had suffered some groin soreness at this morning’s practice, although it doesn’t seem to be any serious setback for the Heat newcomer.
Powell’s status will be worth monitoring prior to Thursday’s matchup on the road against Victor Wembanyama and a rising San Antonio Spurs squad.
But tonight, Miami’s depth and next man up mentality was on full display.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. continues to turn heads with his resurgence back to rookie-year form. The third-year forward led with a team-high 28 points to go along with 5 assists and 4 rebounds on an efficient 9 of 14 shooting. Most impressively, he sported a +43 plus/minus in his minutes on the floor.
“Jaime was terrific tonight and that’s an understatement, +43… that is remarkable,” coach Erik Spoelstra said in the postgame presser. “He’s playing downhill and making really nice reads. We want him to play with confidence and not put a limit on it.”
Outside of Jaquez’s huge bench spark, captain Bam Adebayo also filled the stat sheet in just 30 minutes of action. The All-Star big man posted 26 points and 6 rebounds on 10 of 16 from the field (63%). Additionally, he knocked down 3 of his 5 attempts from 3-point range and had an elite +29 plus/minus impact himself.
With Powell’s absence, Andrew Wiggins helped make up some of the scoring in a versatile two-way outing of 21 points and 3 steals on the night. Pelle Larsson, who got the start to step in for Powell in the backcourt, added 17 points and 5 boards.
Miami shot 54% as a team overall, as well as 44% from deep and knocked down 20 of 22 free throw attempts (91%). They limited themselves to just 11 turnovers on the night, and even kept the Hornets’ LaMelo Ball in check. It was a truly efficient all around performance on both ends from the Heat.
As mentioned earlier, next up will be the tougher task of holding off Wemby and the Spurs on Thursday.
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Had to check in on HHH after the hot start. Congratulations! Great to see some of the names still here!!
Wow! Greetings!
You know the fan base is excited when we already have 40 comments after beating the freaking Hornets. lol
I think stacking these wins has been critical considering the road trip. We’re not going undefeated. Well, if we did, I’m buying my Finals tickets now. 😛
On to Wemby and an old foe, the Spurs.
Heck yea, we excited, Nothing like squashing roaches that think they have a chance. Next up the alien, whose already looking like a top 3-5 player 👽. Let’s go heat 🥵 🔥
Another great game.
Funny, we expected the most improvement from Ware and Jovic, but they are somehow flooded by productions of others and they don’t have a chance to stand out.
But both are doing fairly well, as the rest of team excels in every possible way.
Still, those are our young players with the most upside. There will be times, when JJJ, Simone, Pelle and others will struggle. We will need them then to step up.
This is really exciting. I was thinking about not watching games after last preseason game.
Anyway, this is great offense. But Heat are also playing great defense when they needed to.
A very important point. Players balling right now might not be balling in January. We’ll need the others to ball at that time. The way everyone has looked good so far, it’s not crazy to think about. I can definitely see a scenario where Powell goes in to a bit of a funk and it’s Herro bailing us out, as an example. Maybe Niko goes on a heater at the right time.
Let’s go HEAT!
as much as i want to see a Heat player put up 40, 50pts, id rather have this kind of boxscore where everyone eats and they get the W. though its also nice to see one of our guys fill up the scoresheet. and also get the W. looking at the sked, the road to 20 games looks daunting. if not for the great start i feel like they’ll just win 4-5 games in that stretch.
Another excellent game. Who would have thought after the pre season games. Not me, but I guess nobody expected us to play like this. I have to say I am getting used to the new look Heat. I am impressed by the work the coaching staff achieved with these players and by the effort and enthusiasm AND skills these players deliver.
Some more notes from the underground as we used to say in the old hippie days.
It is nice to know that being optimistic does not mean someone is delusional, stupid, or out of touch. That doesn’t mean it’s okay to be unrealistic or illogical, but rather that you seek out the positives and try to figure out how to address the shortcomings. Admittedly, this season, so far, has turned out better than anyone expected.
I focus on different players at different times for different reasons. Wiggins is playing solid defense, sprints back on transition defense, and seems to have one clutch moment a game. We shouldn’t confuse his mellow personality with passiveness.
I need 30s help on this one. In hockey, don’t they track and reward the player who passes to the teammate who then gets the assist? Jovic would be eligible for that on the Heat. He often initiates the offense, and makes some great passes. He also had a fadeaway and a drive to the basket for a couple of scores. And it didn’t matter who was guarding him.
We should add Pelle (44) to the list of players the FO has brought in over the last couple of years – Powell, Mitchell, Simone, Jaquez, Ware, Jovic, Wiggins, Dru. And Kaspar on deck.
The good thing about this team is it doesn’t rely on just one player. That was evidenced tonight with Powell out. With the depth Miami has, Spo has a lot of options to go with on any given night. There is no better example of UD’s “stay ready so you don’t need to get ready” quote than the players on this team. Second unit players need to be ready to start and bench players need to be ready to become rotation players.
P.S. There is a big difference in an optimistic/positive person constantly looking for solutions and optimal outcomes and someone who is delusional. Anybody who tells you that you are delusional is probably delusional. Jus sayin.
Right, but we’ve been called a lot of things over this long offseason. It’s not a big deal, I know I am objective for the most part.
Another thing I like about this team that has nothing to do with basketball really, is Canada, US, Russia, Serbia, Lithuania, Sweden, Italy. Real diversity, including roots to Mexico, Jamaica, and Nigeria.
and a coach from Asia! haha
sorry had to insert something from this part of the world
You’re right, I should’ve included Spo. I wasn’t sure if I missed others as well.
You’re right. I also like the diversity
Although I could do without the russian part, but your point stands. And I know people don’t have control over their nationality/origin, but it doesn’t get me excited.
Lol, I hear you on the Russian part. But I don’t have anything against Russian people, just their leader and government.
Same with people from most other places, races, religions etc. I look into a person’s heart and make a conscious effort to avoid the bad ones.
Russian is a G leaguer so I don’t think he counts.
You don’t need my help. I’ve come to appreciate how well you stay logical as new information comes in. I try to learn from your ability to handle the uncertainty and not jump to conclusions.
I’m trying to be more careful in my observations but I stilll come from a place where I buy the sixty years of nba basketball status quo. As I often say here, the Heat are doing things differently and I have trouble being a believer, sort of in the same way as hfl. .
I’m speaking in coded words here but my new way of explaining myself is breaking down players into various levels of strength and power vs finesse, sort of on a spectrum. And players who combine both skill sets are the best players. To my way of thinking we have two polar extremes on this team, Tyler, who is high on finesse, very low on power and strength, and Keshod, who is the opposite. Neither extreme is good.
Yes, I know it’s a clumsy comparison, but it explains my concerns about Ty coming back and being inserted into this line up.
It also explains why Simone and Jaime are doing so well as they have good power and strength with fairly high finesse too. It also explains why Doncic and Jokic are two of the five best players in this league as they are very high on both spectrums.
But, I am learning to adopt patience and a wait and see attitude because I know in my heart my internal biases did not allow me to foresee Jaime’s emergence, or Simone’s. I still have trouble believing in Jovic although even I must admit his three ball and passing are valuable skillsets.
On any other team in this league, these issues would not be paramount in my thinking. But, the Heat are, in effect, somewhat of a horse of a different color.
I still caution us all to wait till this road trip is over before we fully buy in. Early returns are encouraging though.
i can relate to this. very nice. its ok not to buy in right away, as we all know its still early but these past games are simply enjoyable. lets just be careful not to get carried away too much as our fragile feelings might crash and burn lol. the 20 games eval is still my bench mark. last season was on point when they’re .500 after 20 games and they ended in play-in. again.
I agree. The only thing the Heat have proven so far is they are a really fun team to watch. Last season they were difficult to watch, primarily due to the Butler debacle, followed by the difficulty of incorporating the new players. And, oh, those large leads blown at the end of games. Can they sustain this pace? I think so. Are they a 55-27 team? Probably not. But where I felt their ceiling was 5 to play-in, I hope now it is 4-6.
Listen, I don’t want to jump the gun or anything, but we are currently on-pace for a 60+ win season.
Make it so. Engage.
Miami’s next four games are on the road:
These games should be good tests of Miami’s new run & gun offense and upgraded defense.
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, November 19th when Golden State will be in town.
GO HEAT!!!
First b2b and it’s against LA teams. 3-1? With Nuggs as the lone loss.
We’ll find out soon. If they do as well as we hope, the entire NBA will begin to take notice. The older less mobile teams and those without deep benches are going to have problems keeping up with Miami’s pace, superior conditioning and stamina.
Lol i have problems keeping up just watching! 😅😄
No shit! Lately, I feel like I’m watching the Showtime Lakers.
3 nights in L.A. not good. Maybe Jaime can plan a couple of outings and show them the sights to occupy their free time.
okay, i’m gonna say it. i was wrong
I said this Heat team looked like 3-day old leftovers. I said this was worst Heat offseason of the decade. I said I’d rather fold laundry than watch this Heat team run it back. (okay, that last part isn’t true).
After scoring 140+ is 2 of the first 4 games, I am willing to admit I was wrong. I watched a bit of the first game and haven’t watched since. If this is what this team is going to look like, I’ll make time to catch a game.
You can watch all or most of it on YouTube.
You aren’t the only one who underestimated the team. I think we are all suffering a from a form of PTSD after the chaos and distractions of last season. That losing streak! Mama Mia! It’s enjoyable watching Miami Heat games again, rather than having to endure them (like a slow death by a thousand cuts).
Based on the old/half-court offense the Heat has employed for several years, I wasn’t expecting significant improvement in their overall performance. I figured a play-in team with an outside shot at 6th place, unless a significant trade or two was made.
Spo had tried to speed up the team’s pace the past few years to no avail. With the half-court/slow down/prima donna/money hungry quitter now out of the picture, Spo was finally able to speed things up. Who could have predicted that increasing the pace would bring out the best of players such as Powell, Jaquez and Fontecchio?
Who knew Spo would find the key to unleashing this fast paced, exciting, unselfish brand of basketball. The guys are playing what looks like a very polished version of run & gun playground ball. You can tell the players are having fun. You can see it on their faces. They enjoy playing this type of basketball and actually like each other. There are no overblown egos on this team. They have a good blend of veterans and younger players who are confident, optimistic, hungry and humble. Not a prima donna in the bunch.
Another great, so very convincing W! Ware v Wemby next. Maybe that’s why Kelel was practicing his 3s in garbage time. Heat turning heads and of course we all hope they will keep on doing so. Open east top 4-6. Let’s go!
Great game again. They did it without Powell. Jaquez sure is a fire plug off the bench. Definitely 6th man potential.
I feel much more confident about the upcoming West coast road trip than I did two weeks ago. I hope they run the teams off the court.
GO HEAT!!!
I hear ya…. I feel like I’m watching a different team or something. I dig it…. Keep it going Heat!
Exactly. Spo has tapped into something very special. The guys are like stallions that have been stuck in a corral for a long time and have finally been let out and are free to run and roam. This is a team of stallions that have found their pace and freedom to run. They will never go back in the corral again. Win or lose, their games this season should be very exciting.
Good points Sun. This is a big piece of their early success, in my opinion. To my point of view, we are a team known for grueling training regimens and high intensity practices. This team has always been one of the fittest in the league. That reputation is such that I have heard a few times over the years that only players willing to work hard should come to the Heat.
And yet, we played thru the Jimmy era at one of the slowest paces in the nba. This failed to take advantage of our better stamina levels when we could have essentially run other teams off the court.
Last night game, and even the Knicks game, which was our most impressive win to date, gave some evidence that we did wear our opponent down. Last night our lead continued to grow until garbage time.
And, if that’s what is happening, it bodes very well for the rest of this season. It also has the wonderful effect of scoring so much that everyone gets into the action and thus feels great about their individual game. This breeds confidence, which seems to be growing.
But, again, we still have too small a sample size to buy in fully yet. But, it sure has been fun and encouraging so far.
A pleasure to watch. No phones, no distractions, just sat quietly and watched for 3 quarters. Go heat!!!
What about the other quarter? Phones, distractions, and stood noisily?
Great team win. Resistance is futile!
Miami Borg in action!
If I must be assimilated, I want 7 of 9 to do it.
My words exactly.
My my my, yes sir!