Heat fall to 0-3 after Giannis Antetokounmpo fouls out against Hornets
Charlotte beat Miami 115-110 despite missing two starters, handing the Heat their first 0-3 start under Erik Spoelstra.
The Miami Heat fell to 0-3 on Saturday, October 24, after a 115-110 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 14 points and fouled out with less than two minutes left, while Brandon Miller scored 34 for the Hornets, who were missing two starters.
It is Miami’s first 0-3 start in Erik Spoelstra’s 19 seasons as head coach, according to ESPN Research. The Heat had already lost to Minnesota and Detroit, HITC reported. The opening defeat came in Antetokounmpo’s Heat debut, covered in our earlier report on Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves.
How Charlotte took control
Charlotte had lost its home opener to Atlanta 128-81 on Friday and played Miami without starters Kon Knueppel and Coby White. Against the Heat, Dennis Schroder scored 25 points, Naz Reid added 23 and Grayson Allen had 20. The Hornets improved to 2-1.
The Hornets made 16 of 43 three-point attempts after going 11 of 51 from deep against Atlanta. Five threes fueled a 24-7 run in the third quarter, turning a 68-63 lead into a 92-70 advantage. Miami rallied to tie the game at 100, 102 and 104, but Allen completed a four-point play after the final tie to put Charlotte ahead 108-104. The Heat got no closer than three points afterward.
Davion Mitchell led Miami with 22 points, followed by Bam Adebayo with 20, Pelle Larsson with 15 and Klay Thompson with 14. Spoelstra said a lineup featuring Mitchell, Adebayo and three reserves had helped spark the comeback, but called for more of that activity from his team: ‘That was inspiring and ultimately what I told our team right now is we need inspiration.’
Reaction to Miami’s winless start
HITC reported criticism from fans online after the defeat, including comments questioning Antetokounmpo’s move from Milwaukee and the Heat’s 0-3 record. The reaction followed two opening losses in which Antetokounmpo averaged 35.5 points and nine rebounds, according to HITC; his 14 points in Charlotte marked a sharp change in his scoring even as Miami’s result stayed the same.
Saturday’s game was the teams’ first meeting since Charlotte beat Miami 127-126 in overtime in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, ending the Heat’s 2025-26 season. LaMelo Ball, who made the winning shot for Charlotte in that game, was traded to Minnesota during the offseason, ESPN reported.
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Sources and context
- Giannis Antetokounmpo fouls out vs. Hornets as Heat tumble to 0-3ESPN News Services; Associated Press contributed to the report
- ‘He should have…’ – NBA fans call out Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami Heat after third straight lossHITC (article by Divij Kulkarni; carried by Yahoo)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.