Miami Heat Roll Past Hornets 144-117 Behind Jaquez’s Breakout Performance
The Miami Heat didn’t let a couple of absences slow them down Tuesday night. Playing without leading scorer Norman Powell and still waiting for Tyler Herro to return from ankle surgery, the Heat put together their most complete performance of the young season, dismantling the Charlotte Hornets 144-117 at Kaseya Center.
At 3-1, the Miami Heat is playing with the kind of pace and energy that’s been missing in recent years. The victory extended their winning streak to three games and sent a clear message: this team has depth and knows how to utilize it.
Jaquez Steps Up For Miami Heat When It Matters Most
Jaime Jaquez Jr. delivered the performance the Miami Heat needed, dropping 28 points on an efficient 9-of-14 shooting. The second-year forward out of UCLA was aggressive from the opening tip, attacking a Charlotte defense that had no answers for his drives to the basket.
Jaquez knocked down his first two three-pointers of the season and went a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. By the time the third quarter ended, he already had 26 points in the bank. More impressively, the Heat outscored the Hornets by 43 points with Jaquez on the floor—a testament to his two-way impact.
“Playing in attack mode” is how Erik Spoelstra described Jaquez’s approach, and it showed. Whether finishing through contact or finding open teammates, Jaquez controlled the game’s tempo as the Miami Heat’s sixth man.
Adebayo and Wiggins Provide Steady Support
Bam Adebayo continued his hot shooting from beyond the arc, extending his streak of games with at least one three-pointer to 16 dating back to last season. The All-Star center finished with 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep.
Adebayo also reached a significant milestone, scoring his 9,000th career point on a third-quarter dunk. That puts him in exclusive company alongside Dwyane Wade, Alonzo Mourning, and Glen Rice as the only players in franchise history to reach that mark.
Andrew Wiggins added 21 points in another solid outing. The veteran forward has seamlessly fit into Miami’s system, providing scoring punch and defensive versatility. His ability to get buckets in transition has been crucial to the Heat’s uptempo style through four games.
Larsson Shines in Starting Role
With Powell sidelined by a groin injury that flared up during the morning shootaround, Spoelstra turned to second-round pick Pelle Larsson to fill the void in the starting lineup. The Arizona product responded with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, adding five rebounds and three assists.
Larsson had been averaging just 5.3 minutes through the first three games, but he looked comfortable in extended action. The 24-year-old attacked the basket with confidence and knocked down open threes when Charlotte’s defense collapsed. His performance demonstrated the kind of depth that makes Miami a dangerous team even when key players are unavailable.
Heat’s Offensive Explosion
The Miami Heat came out firing, leading 37-34 after the first quarter before blowing the game open with a 39-point second quarter. The Heat’s 76 first-half points tied for the fourth-highest scoring half in franchise history spanning 38 seasons.
Charlotte briefly made things interesting early in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to three points. But the Miami Heat’s second unit—featuring Simone Fontecchio and Nikola Jovic—quickly restored order. By the end of the third, the lead had ballooned to 17 points at 105-88.
The Heat finished shooting 54.2% from the field and 44.4% from three-point range. They assisted on 28 of their 46 field goals and turned 18 Charlotte turnovers into easy transition buckets. It was the kind of complete offensive performance that has Spoelstra’s squad humming early in the season.
