Entries by Mateo Mayorga

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat defeat the Hornets in the first Emirates Cup game of the season after a franchise-best 53-point first quarter

The undermanned Heat’s 3-point shooting went cold after a team record 53-point first quarter, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. plus Simone Fontecchio had to bail them out against the Hornets in their first Emirates Cup game of the year. The defensive communication at first was abysmal without Bam Adebayo as they lost track of drive-bys, 3-pointers, […]

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat escape Intuit Dome with a close win against the Clippers

The Heatles triple-teamed Kawhi Leonard’s last-second shot, taking out the Clippers late in the fourth quarter and narrowly escaping with a one-point win.    Norman Powell returned from his three-game absence (groin strain) and mowed down coverages like he never left. Bam Adebayo dropped an efficient 25 points and 10 boards, outplaying Ivica Zubac. And […]

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Jaime Jaquez Jr. went nuclear off the bench, and the Heat destroyed the Hornets

The Heat were without their starting backcourt and flattened the touring Hornets, improving to 3-1 before leaving on their four-game road trip. They played fast, and seven members contributed double-figure scoring, but the story of the night was Jaime Jaquez Jr., who had one of his best games as a pro. He’s following up on […]

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat make easy work of the Grizzlies in third-highest scoring game in franchise history

The Heat curbstopped the Grizzlies on the road for the first win of the season (1-1) and had them mentally checked out midway through the second quarter. Kel’el Ware started over Nikola Jović to match Memphis’ size, and the twin bigs feasted on lobs and jumpers.   Bam Adebayo went on the first shooting spree, […]