Tyler Herro showed up in a huge way for Miami Heat (26-22) on Sundays NBA-Game, with 26 points that led all players. But he wasn’t even the star of the show as Kyle Lowry stole the spotlight late with nine of his 17 points coming during crunch time.
Veteran guard Jimmy Butler and center Adebayo, each scored 18 to help Miami overcome a 16-point deficit and secure an electrifying 100-96 win over New Orleans (26-21).
Trey Murphy III put in work for the Pelicans, leading the team with 17 points, while Jonas Valanciunas followed close behind at 14 points and an impressive 16 rebounds. CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr. also chipped in 13 and 12 respectively, showing they came ready to battle until the very end. In the end, however, it was Miami’s unbeatable spirit that helped them come away victorious.
Massive Points Off Turnovers
It has been a battle of maximizing turnovers as the Miami Heat turned Pels’ 25 TOs into 31 points while the NO turned Heat’s 22 TOs into 28 points.
New Orleans nearly overthrew the Heat, unfortunately, their plans fell just a bit short. With the score tied and only 15.1 seconds left on the clock, a five-second violation put the Pelicans at a disadvantage. They argued that Dyson Daniels was calling for a time-out before the game and attempted to dispute the ruling, though to no avail.
The Pelicans were then able to win a jump ball shortly after, giving them one more chance – an attempt of a 3-pointer from McCollum with 7.6 seconds remaining on the clock which sadly rimmed out. Despite their valiant last-ditch efforts, Victor Oladipo sunk two free throws to give the Miami Heat victory in the final moments.
“It was taxing.” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It feels like mistake after mistake, but that’s also not giving them credit. They are extremely good at what they do.”
“I’m proud of our guys, the fight that they had tonight,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “Guys competed. They played at a high level, executed at a high level at both ends of the floor. We came up short and we just have to take care of the basketball.”
Pels are Struggling
The New Orleans Pelicans were dealt a tough blow as they suffered their fourth consecutive loss, making the second losing streak of the season. The dismal stretch of the last 21 games, in which the team went 8-13, has left fans feeling frustrated and anxious about what’s to come.
To further add to their misery, the Pelicans’ streak of scoring 100 plus points away from home came to a sudden end after 38 games making it seem all but certain that things may not be looking up for this team anytime soon.
Next Game of the Miami Heat
After a hard-fought victory over the undermanned Pelicans, the Miami Heat will try to break Boston Celtics’ (35-12) 9-game winning streak on Tuesday. This will be the fourth and final meeting between the Eastern Conference rivals. Boston took the first two while the Heat steal their third match-up with a 120-116 win at TD Garden.