Norman Powell scoring dominance, Kel'el Ware interior force and other Heat-Sixers takeaways

The last Heat game without Tyler Herro? With an expectation that he makes his season debut on Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks, the Heat had to stop off in Philadelphia first on Sunday afternoon.

Along with Herro, Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic remained sidelined for Miami. The Sixers, on the other hand, were without Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe.

Another fun, high scoring ball game commenced, behind the elite scoring of Norman Powell.

So let's get into that, plus other takeaways:

1. Norman Powell scoring dominance continues.

Nov 23, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) steals the ball from Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards (11) in the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Under 40 seconds to go in the first half, Norman Powell took 6 free throws on two fouls on three point attempts in that stretch. Why is that important? Defenses are forced to overplay him when he's dominating with a 23 point first half. The shot making was pure early in this one: off the catch deep logo threes, perimeter shots in transition, downhill attacking, and just efficient overall scoring. The impressive part is how condensed it always is, since the amount of dribbles pre-shot are just so limited. Even as much as he's discussed, I still feel he's been underrated which just how elite he's been as a scorer for this Heat team.

2. Kel'el Ware energy and interior dominance continues.

Nov 21, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) scores against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

After seeing Kel'el Ware play well a game ago on Friday night, the next proposal many had for him is 'can you do it again?' We all know he's capable of dominating for stretches, but the ability to do it consistently is the key. He came out the gate as energizing as he could have today, which led to a double-double by halftime. Seven offensive rebounds in the first half described his play pretty well, as he was battling down low to convert on some tough second chance opportunities. Once he's involved early, his eyes get bigger and bigger as an offensive threat, even opening things up to some nice looking perimeter shots. When he's that active down low, it's a massive difference maker.

3. Jaime Jaquez Jr building respect, and building counters.

Nov 23, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) shoots the ball against Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) in the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

There are two things teams are doing when Jaime Jaquez Jr surveys the defense with the ball in his hands: meet him early in transition to try and force a charge, and wall things up below the rim. Those are two things that are a clear sign of respect for the Heat's third year wing, but we began seeing an in-game counter from Jaquez in the meantime. He started taking up space in both the mid-range and fringe around the rim, putting his back to the basket before going to work. The turnaround jumpers were dropping, and he really was working that short push shot. His turnovers became problematic down the stretch due to this upgraded attention, but it's a definite sign of respect. All about finding the next adjustment.