Heat make road statement with 128-120 victory in Charlotte behind Herro's 33

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Mar 6, 2026

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For weeks, the Miami Heat have been searching for a road statement, a victory away from Kaseya Center with substance.

For the entire season, the Heat have been searching for a comeback win on the road.

Mission accomplished ... and accomplished, with Friday night’s 128-120 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center.

Rebounding from road losses last week against the Bucks and 76ers, the Heat also won for the first time this season when trailing on the road after three quarters.

With their seventh victory in their last nine games, the Heat secured the season-series tiebreaker against the Hornets, having taken the first three games of the four matchups.

Tyler Herro, who kept the Heat afloat early and then sparked them in the fourth quarter, closed with a season-high 33 points, going 8 of 10 on 3-pointers, with nine assists and nine rebounds, supported by 24 points and 12 rebounds from Bam Adebayo and 19 points from Jaime Jaquez Jr.

The victory came as the Heat not only remained without Norman Powell, but this time also were without Andrew Wiggins,

Next up is a Sunday matchup against the East-leading Detroit Pistons at the start of a four-game homestand that has the Heat playing at Kaseya Center every other night for a week.

Five Degrees of Heat from Friday night’s game:

— 1. Game flow: The Heat led 30-27 after the first period, before the Hornets took a 61-58 lead into halftime.

The Hornets then took a 101-98 lead into the fourth, with the Heat entering 1-23 when trailing after three quarters, including 0-15 in that situation on the road.

From there, a 9-0 run put the Heat up 115-108 with 5:48 to play, forcing a Hornets timeout. Later, a Herro 3-pointer helped push the Heat to a nine-point lead with 4:28 left.

From there, Kon Knueppel 3-pointers got the Hornets within three, with Adebayo eventually sent to the line with 18.5 second to play and the Heat up 124-120, making both.

— 2. Another twist: With Powell and Wiggins out, the Heat moved to their 21st lineup of the season.

That had Myron Gardner getting his fifth start, opening alongside Adebayo, Herro, Davion Michell and Pelle Larsson.

The Heat are now 3-2 with Gardner as a starter.

In addition to Powell (groin) and Wiggins (knee) being out, the Heat also were without Nikola Jovic (back) and Simone Fontecchio (groin).

— 3. Herro for 3: Having worked to regain his range after missing a month with a rib injury, Herro not only opened 5 for 5 on 3-pointers but also was fouled on a 3-point attempt in the midst of that run, making all three of those free throws.

He entered 5 of 15 from beyond the arc in his three previous games.

Herro was at 27 points through three quarters, at that point making his highest-scoring game since he went for 29 on Nov. 26 against the Bucks, his previous highest-scoring game of the season.

— 4. Jaquez, too: Less expected but also prolific from beyond the arc was Jaquez, who shot 4 of 6 on 3-pointers.

Jaquez, a liability from beyond the arc most of the season, entered 5 of 26 from beyond the arc the previous 10 games, with no than two in any previous games this season.

With his 19th point, Jaquez reached a single-season high for points over his three-year career.

— 5. Uneven night: Adebayo endured an uneven shooting night, unable to keep up with the 3-point pace elsewhere on the court.

He opened 1 of 8 from the field and later fell to 4 of 15, closing 10 of 26

The struggles also included an 0-for-5 night from beyond the arc. He went without a 3-pointer in Thursday night’s loss to the Nets, after converting at least one in his previous 10 games.

Adebayo entered 47 points shy of 10,000 for his career, with Dwyane Wade the lone player to score at that threshold with the Heat.