Win vs. Nets propelled by Powell, Ware and a revived third-year man

The Miami Heat finally ended their losing streak after beating the Brooklyn Nets 106-95. It might not of been the blowout many fans were wanting but coming off a 5 straight losses one can not complain too much. The Heat are now 15-12, which puts them 7th in the Eastern Conference.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. – Grade: A-

Jaime Jaquez Jr. had been in a slump recently, but he broke out in a huge way. He was dominant on the offensive end in his minutes, easily taking advantage of a poor Nets defense. Finishing his drives was no issue as he shot 9/13 from the field. He rode this confidence to hitting down a 3 pointer, which is only his 9th of the year. This is the version of Jaquez Jr. that the Heat has been lacking. One thing that he still needs to work on is limiting his turnovers. Jaquez Jr. had 3 against the Nets. He still sometimes gets out of control and gets himself stuck. Jaquez Jr. finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assists. The Heat will hope this is a game that spring boards him for the rest of the season.

This is what we call getting to your spots.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. at the logo, knows he likes the matchup and gets the ball back on a catch and go. Brooklyn is taking away the rim so he gets to his turnaround push shot. pic.twitter.com/566mZCS8bl
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) December 19, 2025

Kel’el Ware – Grade: A

Kel’el Ware returned to the starting lineup and proved that he should continue starting. Ware was able to position himself in excellent spots for teammates to find him for east dunks. His threat of a lob was putting the defense in difficult positions all night and helped open, not only his game, but teammates. I thought Ware showed more discipline on the defensive end, having fewer mistakes than he has had recently. One thing I love about Ware’s performance was that he got to the free throw line 6 times, which helps to show how aggressive he was. Ware did an excellent job rebounding all game. Ware finished the game with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 blocks. As an added bonus he did not have a single turnover all game.

Kel’el Ware vs the Nets:

🔺22 PTS
🔺12 REBS
🔺4 BLKS
🔺8/11 FG (73%)

KEEP STARTING KELEL

(via @MiamiClip) pic.twitter.com/GoOUhoRa7V
— 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (@HeatvsHaters) December 19, 2025

Norman Powell – Grade: A

Norman Powell was excellent from the start of the game all the way to the end. He was the scorer the Heat needed. He once again got off to a hot start, scoring 10 points in the first quarter that helped set up an early lead. The highlight of Powell’s night, and the whole NBA’s night, was when Powell hit a halfcourt one handed running floater buzzer beater to send the Heat into halftime with a 5 point lead. It was truly one of the most unbelievable halfcourt shots I have ever seen. Powell finished the game with 24 points on 8/14 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.

NORMAN POWELL AT THE BUZZER. 🔥

pic.twitter.com/rRu0O8ncxf
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 19, 2025