Twelve minutes into Friday night's contest, it appeared that the new look Miami Heat offense was going to run away from Charlotte and set records in the process. The Heat set a franchise record with 53 points in the first quarter and had built a lead of 26 points in the 2nd quarter.
And yet in a flash, that lead was gone and Miami was on the hook for a soul-crushing loss to open up NBA Cup play. As much as anything, the defense clamped down in the 2nd half, and Miami's playmakers did just enough to escape with a 126-108 win over the Hornets.