MIAMI — On Wednesday evening, the Miami Heat secured a victory against the New Orleans Pelicans, winning by a score of 119-108. Tyler Herro was a standout player, contributing 32 points to the game, while Bam Adebayo came close to achieving a triple-double with his performance of 23 points, nine rebounds, and ten assists. Additionally, Duncan Robinson added to Miami’s total with 17 points.
The Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III was exceptional as well, scoring 34 points in the loss. This game coincided with a tragic event in New Orleans, where at least 15 individuals lost their lives when a truck collided with a crowd on Bourbon Street during New Year’s festivities, an act that President Joe Biden condemned as “despicable.”
New Orleans struggled significantly throughout the game, never establishing a lead and suffering their 29th loss in the last 32 games. Their poor record has worsened to 1-20 in the last 21 outings.
In terms of individual performances, CJ McCollum scored 22 points for the Pelicans, while Murphy’s impressive 34-point outing marked one of the top scoring performances by a Pelicans player this season, ranking third behind McCollum’s 36 points on December 12 and Murphy’s own 35 points on December 27. Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler returned to the Heat lineup after a five-game absence due to illness. He finished the game with nine points, four rebounds, and two assists in 25 minutes on the court, shooting 3-for-5. With Butler’s presence, Miami has improved to a record of 12-9 in the games he has played this season.
A notable moment during the game came when Herro initially struggled with his 3-point shooting, missing his first four attempts. Nevertheless, in an unexpected turn, he managed to score three points off a poorly executed alley-oop pass intended for Butler just before halftime. This marked the beginning of a streak in which he made five consecutive shots from beyond the arc.
In terms of the overall performance, the Pelicans extended their road losing streak to 15 games, marking the 100th instance in NBA history where a team has recorded a losing streak of 15 or more games away from home within the same season.
Looking ahead, the Miami Heat will host the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, while the New Orleans Pelicans will face off against the Washington Wizards on Friday.
