Veterans, and a young instigator, stand out for Heat vs. Memphis

The Miami Heat report card for the win vs the Grizzlies

Feb 21, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) passes the ball as Memphis Grizzlies guard Cam Spencer (24) defends during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat have returned from the All-Star break to win their first two games from the break. The Heat desperately needed to string some wins together as they were sitting in 8th of the Eastern Conference going into the break while trying to find their magic that helped them start the season so well.

The Heat defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 136 – 120 behind some big performances by their best players. This win improves the Heat’s record to 31 – 27 and puts them into 7th in the conference standings.

Andrew Wiggins – Grade: A

Feb 20, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) reacts after being called for a foul against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Andrew Wiggins had what felt like a quiet 28 points. Wiggins was sensational from the start of the game making an impact all over the court. He was able to take advantage of every opportunity that was presented to him. I have preached all year long that his efficiency is a big deal and impacts Miami’s success a lot. This game was about as efficient as one can get going 9/10 from the field and 6/6 from the free throw line.

Wiggins can be a big factor for the Heat. If he keeps up this level of play, they have a much better shot of possibly winning their first round matchup in the playoffs. He gives them a perfect complementary player on offense then a player that plays excellent defense. The Heat will hope this game will kick off a string of good performances from Wiggins.

Norman Powell – Grade: B+

Feb 21, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) drives to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. (1) defends during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Norman Powell has returned from the All-Star game looking like he was not satisfied. He was on fire early and rode that to a spectacular scoring game pouring in 25 points on 16 field goal attempts. Powell’s scoring number could of easy been higher, but he was an uncharacteristic 2/7 from the free throw line to limit his scoring.

It should be noted that the degree of difficulty on Powell’s attempts was very high. He showed off his finishing ability with some nice layups that wowed the crowd. Powell is at his best when he does not settle for just threes but uses his shooting to leverage the defense for easy drives to the paint to get himself going. This was a good instance of that, and he did a good job of picking his spots.

Myron Gardner – Grade: A+

Feb 11, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Miami Heat forward Myron Gardner (15) reacts to making a three point basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

One man will receive the majority of the headlines from this game, and it is no secrete that it is none other than Myron Gardner. This man just finds a way to be involved with the other team. He has a talent, yes, a talent, to get into the other teams head and cause havoc.

This game was a perfect display of that. Even though Gardner only played 6 minutes he found a way to be the talk of the NBA world by being involved in a fight. Now Gardner receives his spectacular grade for 2 reasons. First, I do enjoy how he plays the game. He is constantly working his butt off for everything. This is something the Heat desperately need. Second, He has the heart that you need from your role players and it is infectious. He brings the dog mentality. It also does not hurt that NBA fights are always interesting to see what actually happens.

More Miami Heat Stories