Heat Rout Hornets 144-117

The Miami Heat routed the Charlotte Hornets 144-117 at the Kaseya Center, improving to 3-1 while Charlotte fell to 2-2. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led Miami with 28 points (20 in the first half) and Bam Adebayo added 26 as the Heat’s bench outscored the Hornets 58-33. Miami’s uptempo offense — averaging roughly 132 points early in the season — overwhelmed Charlotte, which struggled defensively and on the boards despite LaMelo Ball’s 20 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Norman Powell was scratched with a groin issue, and Miami’s depth and staggered Adebayo/Ware rotations made the team dangerous without Tyler Herro or Powell. Miami now heads into a western swing (Spurs, Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets) that will be a clearer test of whether its high-paced success is sustainable.