Jaime Jaquez Jr. left Charlotte’s Sion James on the deck before throwing down one of the flashiest dunks of the young season, a play ClutchPoints captured and shared on X that quickly went viral. The Miami Heat used that burst of energy and a franchise-record 53-point first quarter en route to a 126-108 NBA Cup victory Friday night. 

The sequence came early, when Jaquez crossed up James with a quick shimmy, blew by him into the lane, and finished with authority over help defenders, a one-handed slam that sent the Kaseya Center into orbit and punctuated Miami’s opening-quarter assault. The clip dominated social feeds and highlighted why Jaquez keeps surfacing in highlight reels. 

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Jaquez finished with a well-rounded line: 18 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, doing damage as a playmaker as much as a finisher off the bench. The Heat shot 51.5% as a team and poured in 53 points in the first quarter via the ESPN Box score, the most in franchise history and one of the biggest opening bursts in NBA play. 

Charlotte kept fighting, the Hornets cut into the margin at times and forced Miami to reinsert its starters, but the early onslaught built a gap the visitors couldn’t close. Miami’s balance showed up across the box score, with several players scoring in double figures and the bench providing a spark behind Jaquez’s highlight. 

For Sion James, the dunk will live on social timelines; for Jaquez, it’s another reminder he’s comfortable making big plays in big moments. The third-year Heat player is really making a name for himself.