New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) and Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) tackle a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, the Friday March 22, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
MIAMI — The New Orleans Pelicans had quite the rebuttal.
CJ McCollum scored 30 points, Jose Alvarado added 17 and the pelicans had no issues in a 111-88 win over Miami on Friday night in NBA — the first meeting between the teams since four players were ejected when the teams played in New Orleans last month, a night capped by Jimmy Butler saying the Heat would win the rematch, too.
“It backfired on them today,” Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado said.
It was McCollum’s fifth 30-point game of the season and his second last week. Trey Murphy III scored 14 points and Naji Marshall had 13 for New Orleans, which got just four points in 25 minutes from Zion Williamson and still rolled.
CJ McCollum had the hot hand in the Pelicans’ victory against the Heat! ????
30 points | 6 p.m. 3 p.m. | 7AST | 5 RECs pic.twitter.com/JkUGNXW9H0
-NBA (@NBA) March 23, 2024
Butler scored 17 points for the Heat, who fell four games behind Orlando in the Southeast Division race and missed a potential opportunity to move out of tournament play. Terry Rozier scored 13 and Bam Adebayo finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for Miami – making 13 of 47 from 3-point range.
“They were packing the paint and staying in the zone,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And I would have done it too.”
The Pelicans were without Brandon Ingram, who will miss at least two weeks with a bone bruise in his left knee. He was injured in Thursday’s loss at Orlando, but the Pelicans say he will be re-evaluated early next month, which would mean before the end of the regular season.
“We’re going to miss him, 20 points a game, he leads our team in assists, so we’re definitely going to miss him,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “But we’re grateful it’s not more than what it was. … We will miss him. The next guys just need to step up their efforts.
Miami was once again without Tyler Herro (foot), Duncan Robinson (back) and Kevin Love (heel). And when the Heat can’t score, they can’t win — they’re now 2-15 when they score 100 points or fewer, compared to 36-17 when they score at least 101.
The Heat have lost 10 of their last 17 home games. A team that entered Friday with the ninth-best road record this season (21-16) is now just 17-16 at home, the 19th-best mark in the league at game’s end.
“We just weren’t good enough. We all know that. We are aware of that,” Spoelstra said.
It was the first meeting between the teams since Feb. 23, when the teams battled and four players — Butler and Thomas Bryant for the Heat; Alvarado and Marshall for the Pelicans – were ejected from what became a 106-95 victory in Miami. Afterwards, Butler said: “We will beat them next time too.”
The Pelicans obviously remembered that.
“We are simply a better team,” the Pelicans posted on social media after the game.
Butler opened the second half with a three-point play that brought Miami within one, and the Pelicans immediately responded with an 11-0 run to maintain control. New Orleans trailed 18-7 early, then settled into a rhythm, trailing only once in the final 36 minutes – and that was just a 22-second stint in the start of the second quarter.
NEXT SCHEDULE
Pelicans: Visit Detroit on Sunday.
Heat: Host Cleveland on Sunday night.
