The Heat beat the Pelicans 128-118 in a preseason game that swung through 12 lead changes and 7 ties before New Orleans' bench ripped off an 11-0 run to tie it at 96 early in the fourth. Miami's reserves answered immediately, closing with Nick Richards, Myron Gardner, Tre Donaldson, Ian Schieffelin and J'Vonne Hadley on the court down the stretch.
Reserves Finish It
New Orleans erased an eight-point deficit with an 11-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters, tying the game at 96. Spoelstra answered with a bench five — Richards, Gardner, Donaldson, Schieffelin and Hadley — that held New Orleans off for good. Hadley's pullup three with 36 seconds left stretched the margin, and Richards closed with a rebound and two free throws. Miami's biggest lead was 13; the Pelicans' biggest was 6.
Bench Outscored Starters
Miami's reserves put up 74 points to the starters' 54. Donaldson scored 12 in the fourth alone, Gardner added 11, and Hardaway Jr. chipped in 11 off 4-of-8 shooting. That depth carried the game once Giannis Antetokounmpo's night ended at 18 minutes.
Grading The Night
Davion Mitchell: A. Nine points, seven assists, a team-best plus-15 in 20 minutes — he ran the offense and did not force anything. Andrew Wiggins: A-minus. Thirteen points on 4-of-5 shooting with a clean plus-12 in 15 minutes. Giannis Antetokounmpo: B-plus. Eighteen points on 8-of-13 shooting in a limited 18-minute preseason workload, efficient but without a three-point attempt.
Rough Outing
Nikola Jovic finished minus-15 in 21 minutes, the worst mark on either roster. Ryan Conwell was minus-13 in 14 minutes. Bobby Portis Jr. scored 11 but needed 13 shots to get there and finished minus-5 in 20 minutes.
What It Changes
Miami improves to 2-0 in exhibition play after beating Toronto 129-105 on October 3, still with no regular-season record on the books until the October 21 opener against Minnesota. The Heat get four rest days before hosting the Timberwolves again in two days, while New Orleans heads into that second game of its own road trip on one day of rest.
What was the final score of the Heat-Pelicans preseason game?
The Heat won 128-118 on October 8, with Miami's bench outscoring its starters 74-54.
Who led the Heat in the win over the Pelicans?
Giannis Antetokounmpo led with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting in 18 minutes, while Davion Mitchell posted nine points and seven assists with a team-best plus-15.
