Miami Heat Drop 144 on the Hornets While the Front Office Drowns in Legalese

The Miami Heat might be in legal hell off the court, but inside Kaseya Center? They’re raising hell in transition.

On Tuesday night, the Heat deep-fried the Charlotte Hornets like Flanigan’s wings on a 2-for-1 special, with a free pitcher included!

The score was embarssing as Miami almost cracked 150 points for the second time this year, at 144–117. Read that s**t again because that’s not a typo.

That’s a flamethrower.

And they did it without Norman Powell or Tyler Herro. Rozier? Yeah, we don’t mention federal investigations mid-bucket.

Let’s talk about Jaime Jaquez Jr. — because he’s not just a rotational piece anymore. He’s HIM.

We call him the Hispanic Jimmy Butler clone, and right now Jaquez is leading the league in Most Improved category similar to Butler. But he’s also leading the race for Sixth Man of the Year.

The third-year wing made sure he plucked the Hornets wings for 28 points, while scoring 20 in the first half alone.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. was gliding through defenders like he just asked some random lady at Publix to bake him banana bread — and she said yes, threw on the apron, and delivered it warm.

Then he sliced up the Hornets’ defense like a hot knife through that same banana bread, smiling the whole damn time like he knew the recipe.

Jaquez was COOKING.

Dude looked like he had the 1998 NBA Live cheat codes enabled, shooting 9-of-14 from the floor and finishing with a +43 like he’s farming VC points in real life. At this point, he’s not playing basketball — he’s role-playing as an entire offense.

Midrange? Wet. Spot-up threes? Cashed. Free throws? Automatic. He played like a man who knows the Heat can’t be counted out, scandal or not.

Bam Adebayo added his usual grown-man stat line — 26 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and at least a dozen moments that made Hornets bigs look like interns.

But the real story here? Identity.

This isn’t the halfcourt-sludge Miami team from last year. That team ranked 24th in scoring.

This version?

They’re f**king scorching team as they averaging 132 points per game in the preseason. Spoelstra has the Heat hooping fast, free, and furious like he’s got Pat Riley watching film in the rafters with a sniper scope.

Andrew Wiggins continued his Miami revival tour with 21 points on smooth jumpers and aggressive drives. Pelle Larsson started in place of Herro and dropped a quiet 17, just casually announcing himself as the Heat’s latest Swiss Army Knife. Fontecchio came off the bench like a barista on Red Bull and lit it up from deep.

The Heat’s bench outscored Charlotte’s 58–33. It wasn’t close. It wasn’t kind. It was a curb-stomping in South Beach.

They closed the first half on an 11–0 run. Then, in the third, they ripped off a 23–7 burst and turned the game into a highlight reel. LaMelo Ball did what he could, and it wasn’t nearly enough finishing with 20 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds. At one point though he was throwing dimes to ghosts with the number of turnovers he complied. Rookie Kon Knueppel had 19 off the bench which was a bright spot , but Charlotte looked like a team trying to find their shoes in the middle of scrimmage.

Brandon Miller sat out, and the Hornets’ perimeter defense responded like it was on PTO. Miami exploited every weakness like hyenas circling a gazelle. This wasn’t a game — it was a warning shot.

The vibes in Miami right now? Confusing as hell.

Off the court: Rozier is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The franchise is flirting with luxury tax doom. And half the backcourt rotation is either injured or waiting on an attorney’s advice.

But on the court? This might be the most fun, free-flowing, and ferocious Heat team since the Big 3.

No Herro. No Rozier. No Powell. Still: 144.

Spoelstra’s biggest issue right now? Too many damn options. Jaquez looks like a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Wiggins fits like a glove. Pelle is unbothered and unshaken. And they haven’t even turned Herro loose yet.

Miami heads west next with nothing to lose and a backpack full of flamethrowers.

Let the lawyers worry about the court stuff.

Because in Miami? The basketball is guilty of being lethal