Although the Miami Heat have an eight-day break in their schedule, some players will be unavailable this weekend. The Heat, who are 30-25 heading into the All-Star break, have won six of their last eight games. Bam Adebayo, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Cole Swider, and Alondes Williams will represent the Heat in Indianapolis during All-Star Weekend.
The NBA All-Star Game and Rising Stars event take place on Friday, followed by All-Star Saturday Night and the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.
For fans of the Heat, here is a viewing guide for All-Star Weekend…
FRIDAY
Rising Stars (9 p.m., TNT): Jaquez and Williams are two of the Heat’s representatives in this Gainbridge Fieldhouse competition. In the Rising Stars showcase, four teams compete in a mini-tournament consisting of three games contested to a Final Target Score, including a selection of NBA rookies, sophomores, and NBA G League player
Basketball Hall of Famer Pau Gasol drafted Jaquez for Team Pau, and Gasol will coach the team honorarily. Williams is a member of the G League squad that Detlef Schrempf, a former NBA player, will coach.
Jaquez, Charlotte Hornets rookie Brandon Miller, Washington Wizards rookie Bilal Coulibaly, Golden State Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski, Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Cason Wallace, Houston Rockets second-year player Jabari Smith Jr., and San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama round out Team Pau’s seven-man roster.
The mini-tournament’s three games will all be played to a Final Target Score, which means that rather than the clock running out, each game will end on a made basket or free throw. Game 1 and Game 2 of the semifinals will be contested to a Final Target Score of 40.
To decide the tournament winner, the winners of Games 1 and 2 will square off in the final game, which will be played to a Final Target Score of 25.
Jaquez joins a list that includes Khalid Reeves (1995), Kurt Thomas (1996), Caron Butler (2003), Dwyane Wade (2004 and 2005), Udonis Haslem (2004 and 2005), Michael Beasley (2009 and 2010), Norris Cole (2012), Kendrick Nunn (2020), Tyler Herro (2020 and 2021), and Precious Achiuwa (2021) as the 11th different Heat player (non two-way contract) to be chosen for the Rising Stars Game in franchise history.
Jaquez described his Rising Stars experience as “extremely exciting.” “This is one of the All-Star Weekend games. I’m aware that that game has attracted many excellent players. It is therefore an honor to even be allowed to take part in that and be a part of it.
SATURDAY
Slam Dunk Contest (final event of All-Star Saturday night, which begins at 8 p.m. on TNT): will feature a representative from the Heat named Jaquez. The event will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Along with Mac McClung of the G League’s Osceola Magic, Jacob Toppin of the New York Knicks, and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Jaquez is one of four contestants vying for the NBA’s Slam Dunk title this season. The reigning Slam Dunk Contest winner is McClung. Regarding his potential to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest, Jaquez stated, “I think it’s going to be a big opportunity.” “As for myself, I always wanted to do it when I was younger. It is therefore a fantastic opportunity to be able to experience that and take part.
Five judges will score each dunk from 40 to 50, and the four dunkers will compete in a two-round competition. The individual dunk score is calculated as the mean of the five judges’ scores.
Each of the four competitors will get two dunks in Round 1, and the two players who score the highest overall from those two dunks will move on to the championship round. The player with the highest final round composite score will be proclaimed the Slam Dunk winner. The two players who advance to the final round will get two additional dunks each.
Jaquez will compete in the Slam Dunk Contest alongside Derrick Jones Jr. (2020), Harold Miner (1993 and 1995), and Billy Thompson (1990), making him the fourth different Heat player in franchise history. Jones, who won the 2020 dunk competition, and Miner, who won the event in 1993 and 1995, are among the Heat competitors who have won the competition.
However, Jaquez is just the second rookie from the Heat to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest. He was chosen by Miami with the 18th overall choice in the 2023 lottery. The other is Miner, who participated in the 1993 event as a rookie.
SUNDAY
G League Up Next Game (1:30 p.m., NBA TV): Two of the Heat’s three two-way contract players, Swider and Williams, will play for the team in the Indiana Convention Center’s G League showcase. This season, both players have performed admirably for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League club.
All-Star Game (8 p.m., TNT): The weekend’s major event, held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, will see Adebayo representing the Heat as an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve.