Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Heat match their early-season best, the Hawks cancel Magic City Night, how Miami players fare in award races and more league notes

Fortunes can change for a team at the turn of a page. The Heat are on a five-game winning streak and have matched their best mark from the season being seven over .500. It makes it even more impressive how they’ve done on this run without All-Star Norman Powell. 

Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have done loads of the heavy lifting and the latter has barely experienced any rust after missing 45  games. Situations are fluid and they must keep riding this wave. Herro should keep starting and Powell should come off the bench, while playing the same amount of minutes. 

The team isn’t good enough defensively for them to start together, so one of these All-Star scorers has to sacrifice. Powell is recovering from a groin strain, but Herro is the superior playmaker and dribbler who will be helped out by two other plus defenders in Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins (when he returns) on the perimeter; Herro’s connection with Adebayo makes the rotation even stronger 

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Even with Kel’el Ware being a force on the boards and as a shot blocker, the Heat’s surge might get Adebayo another look by some of the voters for the Defensive Player of the Year crown. He’s never won it before despite being arguably the top defender in the NBA since 2020.  

Of course, Victor Wembanyama’s shot blocking numbers and paint security make him a heavy favorite and worthy candidate. Yet he gets tons of help from his uncommon reach and size, which makes it a bit less impressive since it’s nothing out of the ordinary for someone who looks like a mountain to create so much resistance. 

Chet Holmgren, Rudy Gobert, Scottie Barnes and Ausar Thompson are other candidates, but it should be noted that Adebayo plays with weaker defenders around him, and the Heat are fourth in defensive rating.

On top of that, Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s paint pressure and playmaking from the bench make him a worthy candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award. The only reserves who have logged more points than him are the ones who haven’t recorded enough games off the bench, so they aren’t in the race. Jaquez’s 15.3 points is the most scored by a second-unit player, and his 4.6 assists are fifth behind Isaiah Collier, Jamal Shead, Dennis Schröder and T.J. McConnell. 

Jaquez’s biggest competition for the award is Naz Reid (Minnesota), Reed Sheppard (Houston), Keldon Johnson (San Antonio), Ajay Mitchell (OKC) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (Denver). The top spot could be argued for either man, but Johnson (13.0) and Hardaway (14.0) have been the accuracy kings, logging a 60.2 and 60.0 effective field goal percentage.

While Jaquez has an all around game, minus the deep shooting, he has only averaged a 52.8 EFG percentage. Those numbers could be higher, but he was arguably their second-most important player for a while this season as he ensured the team stayed in attack mode.  

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The Atlanta Hawks, who made waves after the announcement that they would be honoring Magic City strip club, on March 16, will no longer be proceeding with the event.  While there were good intentions to give tribute to an adult watering hole and entertainment center, it was a bizarre gesture for an event that is usually marketed as a family affair.

Luka Kornet of the San Antonio Spurs, was the first NBA player to publicly ask for the Hawks to cancel it, and veteran Al Horford of the Golden State Warriors seems to have given him an endorsement on X (formerly Twitter).

Magic City was federally sued in 2025 by a former dancer for wage theft and sexual harassment. Those allegations probably should have been enough to pass on the idea when suggested.

The establishment has been famously referenced by musicians, and even those who enjoy reportedly impressive chicken wings. Still, some who enter that establishment can be no different in nature than those who frequent other similar places in the country.

Respect to the ladies who want to be there, and feel empowered dancing. Yet many have to put up with perverts, so it’s hard to see it as empowering when they stay quiet through something. How many of them signed up for that? 

Quick Hits:

• Aaron Gordon is the perfect power forward for the modern game and might be one of the best, if not the best player to never make the All-Star team. He’s got an indoor court in his home that he’s spent an incalculable amount of time using to refine his jumper and it’s money now. He’s also a rare combination of athleticism, power, size and panache that makes him a matchup nightmare.

• Reed Sheppard has some of the quickest hands in the league. It’s a major asset on both sides as his jumper is reminiscent of a gunslinger unholstering their revolver at light speed. Those hands make up for short his NBA stature, and how opponents can go at him, since he’s quick to poke the ball loose or strip it. 

• Jayson Tatum made his comeback from an Achilles tear on March 6, and while still rusty, he will return to superstar status sooner rather than later. The Boston Celtics are second in the East and within reach of the first seed (2.5), held by the Detroit Pistons.

• The Orlando Magic, Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets are all in the race for the sixth seed, which is the last spot that bypasses the Play-In Tournament. Orlando had the lead by .04 percentage points over the Heat. This race is too close to call.

• Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous Alexander hit two cold-blooded step-back triples late in the fourth quarter on Monday over Denver’s Christian Braun and Spencer Jones to claim victory in a head-to-head matchup with another top MVP candidate this season, Nikola Jokić.