NBA Notes: Heat, Norman Powell, Cavs, Evan Mobley, Clippers

Heat

Miami played a game that almost didn’t feel real.

Norman Powell scored 25 and the Heat broke a franchise record with 53 first-quarter points — the second-highest scoring first quarter in NBA history — in a 126-108 NBA Cup win over Charlotte.

That came one day after Erik Spoelstra’s house caught fire. And Miami came out like a team that wanted to take the air out of the building early. They led 64-38 less than 15 minutes in.

Then came the bizarre twist.

Charlotte ripped off a 27-2 run and cut it to 66-65 late in the second. Miami still never trailed and steadied things in the fourth. But the stat line ends up wild.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, the Heat became just the second team in the shot-clock era to score 50+ in one quarter and under 20 in the next.

Andrew Wiggins scored 22. Pelle Larsson added 19.

The 53 beat the previous Heat quarter record of 48. The only first quarter in league history higher? Golden State’s 55 against Portland in April 2023.

Cavaliers

The Cavs hung 148 in Friday’s road win over the Wizards and coach Kenny Atkinson still spoke of Evan Mobley’s usage, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Mobley scored 18 but shot 7-of-16 and is now under 50 percent in six of nine games. Atkinson said Cleveland is still working to get him easier looks.

“We’re intentional about getting him the ball more,” Atkinson said. “But I feel like we can get him the ball in better positions.”

Mobley’s shot profile has shifted. Less in the paint. More pull-ups. More self-creation.

The Cavs want to find the sweet spot, without losing efficiency.

Clippers

The Clippers are 3-5 and coming off a Thursday night where the Suns punched them in the mouth. But coach Tyronn Lue isn’t panicking.

“We really haven’t had the chance to get to our full potential as far as lineups and things like that,” Lue said, via Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. “So, we just gotta be patient, let our guys get healthy and then we’ll see.”