Pelicans
Heat Turn 22 Pelicans Turnovers Into 30 Points in Preseason Win
The Miami Heat beat the New Orleans Pelicans 128-118 at Kaseya Center, pulling away with a 35-22 fourth quarter built on live-ball mistakes. Both teams are 0-0 in the preseason, but Miami's control of the paint and the turnover column stood out.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 14 d ago01The story of the nightTurning PointMiami built a cushion in the second quarter, outscoring New Orleans 40-28 to take a 73-64 lead, but the Pelicans…
Miami built a cushion in the second quarter, outscoring New Orleans 40-28 to take a 73-64 lead, but the Pelicans answered with a 32-20 third quarter to retake a 96-93 edge entering the fourth. The Heat closed the door right after, outscoring New Orleans 35-22 in the final period to pull away 128-118. Miami's biggest lead was 13 points; New Orleans' peak was only 6. Both teams traded the lead early, with 12 changes apiece, but Miami's fourth-quarter surge, built on 30 points off New Orleans' 22 turnovers, was the difference. That's the number that decided it.
02Top PerformersGiannis Antetokounmpo led Miami with 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting in 17.9 minutes, adding four rebounds and four…
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Miami with 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting in 17.9 minutes, adding four rebounds and four assists. Andrew Wiggins was efficient at 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting, plus-12 in his 15.2 minutes. Davion Mitchell ran the offense with seven assists and nine points, finishing plus-15. For New Orleans, Jordan Poole paced the bench with 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting, including 3-for-4 from three. Yves Missi added 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds, and Jeremiah Fears chipped in 11 points with two assists. No Pelican finished with a plus-minus better than Jaron Pierre Jr.'s even mark.
03Where It Was WonMiami won this game in the paint and off live-ball mistakes.
Miami won this game in the paint and off live-ball mistakes. The Heat scored 58 points in the paint to New Orleans' 40, and turned 22 Pelicans turnovers into 30 points, while giving the ball away only 11 times for 13 Pelicans points off turnovers. Miami also ran, scoring 30 fast-break points to New Orleans' 11, and moved the ball better, finishing with 36 assists to 22. New Orleans actually out-shot Miami from three, 19-for-43 to 16-for-41, and won the rebounding battle 63-57, but it wasn't enough to offset the turnover margin and the gap in the paint.
04What It MeansThis was a preseason game, so neither team sits at anything but 0-0, but the tape matters.
This was a preseason game, so neither team sits at anything but 0-0, but the tape matters. Miami's bench produced 74 points, and the starters who played, Giannis and Bam Adebayo, stayed efficient in limited minutes, a good sign with the regular season approaching. New Orleans got scoring depth from Poole, Bey and Pierre Jr. off its bench, 69 points combined, but 22 turnovers against a team that converts mistakes into points is a habit that needs fixing before games count. Zion Williamson's 8 points on 3-for-9 shooting in 16.3 minutes is a workload note to track.
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