MIAMI (AP) — Mexican-American Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 20 of his 28 points in the first half to maintain his good start to the season on field goals, and the Miami Heat beat the Charlotte Hornets 144-117 on Tuesday.
Bam Adebayo scored 26 points and Andrew Wiggins added 21 points for the Heat, who won their third straight game after their first loss this season to Orlando. They played without their leading scorer, Norman Powell, who scored 29 points in the win over New York on Sunday and was ruled out due to a thigh injury he suffered during morning training.
Jaquez led the Heat’s reserve shooters, who led 58-33, hitting nine of 14 field goals. The third-year guard, who was the Heat’s 18th pick in 2023, is shooting 69% in four games (31 of 45). The Heat, which ranked just 24th in the league last season in terms of goals, is averaging 132 points.
Pele Larsson started in Powell’s place and contributed 17 points and five rebounds for the Heat, who closed the first half on an 11-0 run in the final 3:13 to take a 76-60 lead.
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