Twelve minutes into Friday night's contest, it appeared that the new look Miami Heat offense was going to run away from Charlotte and set records in the process. The Heat set a franchise record with 53 points in the first quarter and had built a lead of 26 points in the 2nd quarter.
And yet in a flash, that lead was gone and Miami was on the hook for a soul-crushing loss to open up NBA Cup play. As much as anything, the defense clamped down in the 2nd half, and Miami's playmakers did just enough to escape with a 126-108 win over the Hornets.
1st quarter was fun for Heat fans
It litteraly felt like Miami couldn't miss in the first quarter. Outside of Norman Powell and Nikola Jović, no Heat player had more than one miss in the first quarter. Had they run a contest to allow a fan a minute on the court, they probably would have hit too, as Miami went 21-31 shooting for a franchise record 53 points.
But just as fast as the baskets were falling in the first quarter, they stopped falling in the second quarter. Powell went 0-4, Simone Fontecchio went 0-2, Davion Mitchell didn't even attempt a shot, and by halftime, Miami's 26-point lead was evaporated to 72-69.
In truth, Miami didn't find a spark in the third quarter and scored 22 points. But the Heat forced seven turnovers in the 3rd quarter, including two steals by Mitchell.
Eventually, Jaime Jaquez Jr. took over in the 4th quarter with eight points, Andrew Wiggins had seven, and Powell had six to avoid the collapse.
What did we learn?
JJJ continues to make a bid early in the season for most improved player in the league, as he was one assist and two rebounds away from a triple-double. Pelle Larsson also looks like he is turning a corner, and his Summer League success is translating into actual NBA success. He finished with 19 points off 8-11 shooting.
Meanwhile, the ongoing Kel'el Ware soap opera continues to be a work in progress. He had three blocks on the night, but there are still moments where he just looks passive out on the court, and Ware didn't exactly take his opportunity to be the sole starting center and run with it.
Mind you, Jović isn't exactly helping his case either. Despite signing a contract extension before the dawn of the season, he was relegated to backup center minutes on Friday. He did have three steals and a block in 19:27 of play, contributing to a +15 on the night.
It's also noteworthy that Miami called up Vladislav Goldin, who, in theory, would have rotated for Ware, but Erik Spoelstra opted to have Jović rotate instead.