Starting the New Year off with a bang! In their first of a three-game homestand, the Miami Heat secured a 119-108 win over the beleaguered New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday evening inside Kaseya Center.
Like he has all season, Tyler Herro led the way with 32 points on 11-of-22 shooting, including 5-of-12 from deep. Those who wanted Bam Adebayo to have an efficient shooting night–he did! He came one rebound shy of his second triple-double of the season, tallying 23 points on 14 shots with nine rebounds, 10 assists and three steals.
Miami shot 53.0 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from 3-point range (14-34); New Orleans shot 50.0 percent, but was outscored by 15 points from beyond the arc, going just 9-of-34 (26.5 percent).
The Heat also registered a 125.5 offensive rating (85th percentile), including 113.3 in the halfcourt (90th percentile), according to Cleaning The Glass. It was their most efficient game offensively since Dec. 8 against the Cavaliers, when it posted a 127.1 offensive rating.
Miami never trailed, netting their first five shots and led by as much as 17 in the first half. Behind Trey Murphy, who scored a game-high 34 points on 11-of-24 shooting, the Pelicans eventually cut their deficit to one point. But the Heat widened it back up to 14 before the end of the third quarter and didn’t let the lead slip below seven points the rest of the way.
Wednesday’s win puts the Heat three games above .500 for just the second time this season, moving to 17-14. The Pelicans, however, sink to 5-29 and have gone 1-20 over their last 21 games. Yikes! It also marks Miami’s 8th win over New Orleans over its last nine meetings, including its first this season.
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I m worried about Jimmy. When not fully engaged, he is just an average player.
Love tried to talk with him on the bench, but it seems Jimmy didn’t care much.
Such attitude wont be tolerated for long.
But its a pleasure to watch our young guns playing extended minutes. Even JJJ woke up.
I don’t really care about what happens with Butler.
I prefer to watch this team without him.
They will make PO with or without Jimmy, and that’s all they ll make this year, with or without him.
Good comments.,Jimmy was nothing special last night. If he is going to play like that on the nights when he does play, it’s like a U2 song, with or without him.
with or without u 30
Good team effort tonight. The two pillars of the team (Herro and Bam) had awesome games. Also, good performances by several supporting cast members, e.g., Robinson, Jaquez, Jovic and Ware.
Butler looked like his heart wasn’t in it. He looked disengaged and lethargic. That ain’t gonna fly with Riley or Spo. If you noticed, Butler didn’t play after he came out in turd period. Looked like he was moping on the bench.
Be a professional Jimmy! Grow up! Do your job! It’s not like you are playing in Sioux Falls for 500K (where the temperature is expected to hit -4° next week). You are living in sunny Miami and being paid $100M for two years.
I hope Spo continues to integrate more young players into the system and expands the rotation. I think Stevens and Johnson have something to contribute.
Miami has a chance to extend it’s winning streak to 3 games tomorrow against Indiana. After a slow start, the Pacers are starting to get back on track. They are only 2 1/2 games behind Miami and Milwaukee, which are currently tied for 5th place, one game back of Orlando.
When asked after the game why he benched Butler down the stretch, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra noted the star forward’s 13 days off, and also said the group he closed with was playing well.
“I wasn’t even thinking about it as a back to back,” Spoelstra said, noting Miami’s game on Thursday against the Indiana Pacers. “I mean, 13 days is a long time away and I just went with the group there in the fourth that was giving us the most, and to see if that group could close it out.”
More like the group was playing well and Butler wasn’t. If he comes out disengaged and flat again vs Indiana, it will be interesting to see if Spo benches him again.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/erik-spoelstra-s-statement-on-benching-jimmy-butler-in-pelicans-heat/ar-AA1wPNEG?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=374d1bebeada449991b6ce2d84d7197c&ei=10
to defend jimmys disengagement from the team is understandable to a degree.for about a 4 year period he was one of the best players in the playoffs.i think he feels like me and 30 do that pat failed to get him enough to get him over the hump.so now he sees current squad with him losing a little bit of his game(father time) that he has no shot to win it all (which is prob the case.)so now its time to move disgruntled jim to a contender(he deserves a chance for jewlery).problem is trade value way down becuase of father time that pats not getting good offers.so pats gonna have to lower his price to get this guy that misses so many games out of here.jjj and jovic are hungry to prove they belong and others are waiting in the wings(keshod).its time to get him out of here and let guys that want to give effort and who are also talented to thrive.thanks jim for your great playoff bball it was fun to watch u ball.hope u get your ring jimmy u are one heckuva 2 way player i just wish it could have been in a heat jersey and i could have met rc 30 big and co. on bisc blvd during our parade
Good comments. The only parades around here will be hockey ones.
marlins lol
i gotta push back on this idea that the Heat didn’t do enough for Jimmy. Look at his playoff record. He’s only made it past the second round of the playoffs four times. Three times it was with the Heat. The only other time, he was a bench player for the Bulls (who got eliminated by the Heat).
the Heat gave Jimmy more success than he’s ever experienced in his life. And right now, he’s playing with two other all-stars while still being given the opportunity to be the leader of the team, and he’s acting like my 6-year old daughter after I tell her she can’t get dessert if she doesn’t eat her dinner.
The Heat didn’t let Jimmy down. Jimmy is letting the Heat down
Well, I agree with everything you said. Still, I would change Jimmy is letting in Jimmy is about to let the Heat down.
Testify!
The phantom strikes again! 😉
Actually, Riley brought in Crowder, Tucker, Lowry, and Rozier to help bolster the line-up. He also tried, unsuccessfully to bring in others.
I agree Butler has a better chance of winning a title with any one of several other NBA teams. However, for someone who wants to be traded, he sure isn’t demonstrating a positive attitude or the productive performance of a player another team would want to trade for. Plus, if he intends on opting out of his contract this summer, what assurances does another team have that he will sign with them and not seek the best offer he can get elsewhere? Finally, Riley isn’t going to just give him away.
For the time being, Butler is stuck with Miami and Miami is stuck with Butler. He can either accept that fact and bust his butt between now and deadline to improve his odds of either getting an extension from Miami or having another team step up and give him everything he wants (money, championship, glory, etc.). OR, he can go into a “Quiet Quitting” mode, pout, be disruptive, have his playing time reduced and screw up his legacy in Miami and throughout the league.
Meanwhile, I am moving on from Jimmy. I’m looking forward to watching the young guys develop and improve. Whatever this year’s outcome is, I know with a young core and assets Miami may receive in a Butler trade or cap space it will have if Butler opts out, the team will continue to improve. The glass is definitely half full!
GO HEAT!!!
thank you, thank you, thank you! 100% spot on!
jim didnt even touch the ball in 1st quarter coolio,when he did it was passed asap.he was indirectly saying to pat im out.what a pathetic effort.i thought jjj was great in 2nd half.he needs to be slotted in to jims spot when they trade him.i always get d and toughness from jjj,him going to the hoop is a beautiful thing to watch.needs those js to start falling little bit more.that will come with pt and confidence
What I found most encouraging about this game was the slow but sure transition to a younger team. Herro, Bam, Jaquez, Jovic, Ware, all with solid games. Even Duncan (yes I understand the shaky defense) with 17/4/3/1 no turnovers and only 2 fouls.
wow a dunc d negative by rc thats a first