Short-handed Heat hold off Hornets, 126-108, on emotional night

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel on Nov 7, 2025

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MIAMI — The feel-good story was being written even before the game, with Erik Spoelstra joined by his three children during his pregame media session, the Heat coach stressing nothing could be more therapeutic than pushing forward on the sidelines the day after his Coral Gables home was destroyed by fire.

A 53-point first quarter and then 26-point second quarter lead made the decision to coach seem even more cathartic.

Ultimately, it proved to be just another night of an NBA challenge, all of that lead lost before the Heat held on for a 126-108 victory Friday night at Kaseya Center.

So Spoelstra and smiling children before the game.

A relieved coach after.

Yes, still only sports, but this one seemingly with a bit more meaning.

So even with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro sidelined, and with Norman Powell briefly forced to the locker room by an ankle sprain, the Heat found a way.

Against an opponent lacking LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Collin Sexton, it shouldn’t have been this nerve-wracking, but a 5-4 record it is heading into Saturday night’s game.

Powell led the Heat with 25 points, supported by 18 points, nine assists and eight rebounds from Jaime Jaquez Jr. The Heat also got 22 points from Andrew Wiggins and 19 from Pelle Larsson.

Jaquez limped off late with an ankle sprain, with the team saying his status will be determined Saturday, with the Heat with an 8 p.m. Saturday home game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Heat pushed the scoring to the finish with point differential a tiebreaker in the NBA Cup and Friday night the Heat’s first game in this season’s in-season tournament.

Five Degrees of Heat from Friday night’s game:

— 1. Game flow: The Heat led 53-33 after the first quarter, pushed their lead to 26 in the second period, and then saw the Hornets storm back with a 29-4 surge to eventually move within 72-69 at halftime.

The Hornets eventually tied it in the third quarter before the Heat took a 94-88 lead into the fourth.

From there, the Heat went up 11 early in the fourth and held on, sparked midway through the final period by a ferocious driving dunk by Jaquez.

— 2. Record start: The 53 first-quarter points broke the Heat record for points in any quarter over the Heat’s 38 seasons, which had been 48 in the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1989, during the franchise’s inaugural season.

The Heat record for first-quarter points had been 47 against the Washington Wizards on Jan. 9, 2021.

The Heat closed the first period at .677 from the field and 10 of 15 on 3-pointers.

The Heat now have scored 90 total first-quarter points in the first two of the season’s four meetings.

It was the second-highest total in a first period in NBA history, second only to the Golden State Warriors’ 55 against the Blazers in April 2023. The record for any quarter remains 57 by the Phoenix Suns in 1990.

— 3. Bam-less: Adebayo, sidelined by the toe sprain sustained in the first quarter of Wednesday night’s road loss to the Denver Nuggets, was at the game in a walking boot.

With the Heat lacking in the middle, two-way player Vlad Goldin, the undrafted center who had played at Florida Atlantic University, arrived back in time from his G League assignment and was in uniform.

Spoelstra staggered the minutes of Kel'el Ware and Nikola Jovic, who took over at center when Ware went out. The two had been playing together on the second unit.

— 4. Powell out, back: Powell went to the locker room in the second period with what the Heat listed as a sprained right ankle.

He then returned to start the second half, after earlier scoring 11 points in the game’s opening 5:03.

Powell had returned two games prior, after missing three with a groin strain.

— 5. The Cup: The game was the first of four for the Heat in pool play in the NBA Cup, with all four games also counting in the regular-season standings.

Typically it takes at least a 3-1 record for a chance to advance as one of the four teams from each conference to make the knockout round.

The Heat’s remaining Cup games are Nov. 14 at the New York Knicks, Nov. 21 at the Chicago Bulls and Nov. 26 at home against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Heat did not advance to the knockout-round quarterfinals during the tournament’s first two seasons.