TNT only has one game to send us into All-Star Break, so let’s give this matchup a look…
Hello and welcome to another edition of Thursday Night Thoughts (TNT) on Friday! In this space I will give my takes on the games of the NBA’s premiere weekly broadcast. Do you have any thoughts on last night’s matchup? Hit me up on Twitter and let me know!
Miami Heat 103, New Orleans Pelicans 93
It’s the final day before the All-Star Break, so TNT only gave us one game tonight. The network gave us a matchup between a surging Miami team seeking one more win before the break and a struggling New Orleans squad hoping to end the first half on a high note. In the end, it was the visitors from South Florida picking up the decisive victory.
There were three lead changes in this game, and they all took place within the first two minutes. Miami took a 6-4 lead with 10:10 left in the first quarter and never looked back. They led 39-22, a game-high 17-point lead, with 7:29 left in the second.
However, it wasn’t a complete runaway, as the Pelicans pushed back at the lead on multiple occasions. They outscored the Heat 23-16 to close out the second after falling into that 17-point hole. New Orleans even whittled it down to an 87-85 game with 6:26 left in the fourth quarter. Miami responded with an 11-2 run, spearheaded by Jimmy Butler’s 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, that ultimately put the game away.
The Miami Heat were without Bam Adebayo this game, but the rest of the team had little issue picking up the slack. Butler in particular was phenomenal! He ended the evening with a game-high 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 shooting from the line. Early on, he got most of his buckets in transition. However, when it was time to stave off the Pelicans’ fourth quarter run, he had no trouble taking over in the halfcourt.
Butler scored some key buckets off the dribble during that aforementioned 10-point tear, culminating with a stepback three — his first made trey on his second attempt of the game — to close the door on the Pels. Kelly Olynyk pitched in 18 points and 10 rebounds. Olynyk made his first seven shots before missing his final attempt.
New Orleans were without Zion Williamson and JJ Redick for this game, and it definitely did not help this team that was already struggling. This was only the fifth time this season that the Pelicans have failed to score at least 100 points. To their credit, they attempted to fight back after falling behind early, and had six players score in double-figures. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t muster up enough consistent offense to completely turn the corner. The Pels went 11-of-43, 25.6 percent, from beyond the arc, making this their third game in four where they shot under 30 percent from three-point range.
Miami closes out the first half of the season winning seven of their last eight, promptly bouncing back from their Tuesday loss to the Atlanta Hawks that snapped a six-game win streak. New Orleans ends their half on a 4-9 skid.
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