After going winless in the preseason and dropping their first regular-season contest, the Miami Heat finally secured their first victory Friday night, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in lopsided fashion. Miami dominated from start to finish, finishing with eight players in double figures and winning 146-114. Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 24 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists and one steal. Nikola Jovic added 20 points off the bench, but another reserve stole the spotlight.
Third-year forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. delivered one of the most impressive performances of his NBA career. Jaquez finished with 17 points on 8-for-12 shooting, while adding 10 rebounds and six assists. Just as notable was his staggering plus-minus rating of +43, the third-highest mark in franchise history. Only Tyler Herro and Adebayo have recorded better single-game plus-minus totals, each posting a +46 in the same contest last season against the New Orleans Pelicans. For comparison, only nine players in NBA history have recorded a plus-minus of +50 or above.
The performance continued a promising trend for Jaquez, who was highly productive in the season opener against the Orlando Magic. In that game, he scored 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting, while contributing six rebounds, one assist and two steals. In both contests, his energy, efficiency and versatility stood out.
Miami’s roster has earned a reputation for strong developmental depth, often referred to as “Heat Culture,” with several reserves capable of contributing on any given night. However, if Jaquez continues producing at this level, he could quickly emerge as one of the team’s most reliable bench options and position himself firmly in the early conversation for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
The Heat will now return home to host the New York Knicks in their home opener Sunday, where Jaquez will look to build on his strong start.
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