The Miami Heat are putting an early hurting on the Houston Rockets Sunday night.
Miami set a franchise record for its highest-scoring first quarter. It dropped an astonishing 46 points on the Rockets. The Heat led the Rockets 46-14 after just one period:
According to Basketball Reference, that was the Heat’s highest-scoring first quarter in team history. Previous record was 45.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) November 3, 2019
Jimmy Butler scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Meyers Leonard, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro also filled it up around the rim. The Heat absolutely dominated the interior, scoring 30 points in the paint and taking it to the Rockets at will.
As surprising as the score line was after just one quarter, the offensive outburst from the Heat should not come as much of a surprise. Miami ranked eighth in points per game heading into the contest, whereas the Rockets were dead-last in opponents scoring average.
The Heat were a popular pick as a riser in the Eastern Conference. With Butler heading to South Beach as a legitimate superstar and Herro looking utterly dominant during preseason, Miami seemed like a good bet to make another run at the postseason in a weak East.
Indeed, the Heat are off to a tremendous start. Miami was 4-1 heading into Sunday night even though Butler played in just two games after the birth of his daughter.
Justise Winslow has thrived as the team’s primary ball handler, and Herro has continued to gain momentum from a strong preseason. However, the play of both Bam Adebayo and Kendrick Nunn has been nothing short of remarkable. Nunn was averaging over 22 points per game, and Adebayo posted averages of 15.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
The Heat will not be sneaking up on anyone anymore, as they suddenly look like one of the deepest teams in the NBA.
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