The Miami HEAT defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 106-101 Friday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Josh Richardson led the way for the HEAT with 20 points.
1. J. Rich Ensures The Win
While Richardson did whatever he wanted in the first half with finishes inside, mid-range jumpers and a few treys, things got a little bit tougher after the break.
He wasn’t fazed, though.
Rather, the 25-year-old put all that behind him and converted this tough hook over Julius Randle to stave off New Orleans and put Miami ahead 105-100 with 26.1 seconds left:
That’s a big-time shot.
On the flip side of the ball, Richardson made things tough for Jrue Holiday all evening and came through with a nice block on the point guard and a steal on Anthony Davis in the first quarter.
In addition to his team-high 20 points and that block above, the Tennessee product also tallied three steals, two rebounds and an assist.
2. KO Gets Going Late
With the Pelicans picking up some steam after a sharp third quarter, Kelly Olynyk hit some important shots early in the fourth to keep the HEAT ahead.
In fact, he lead the team with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting in the final period, including this trey off a nice pass from Bam Adebayo (more on him later):
When it was all said and done, Olynyk had 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a team-high plus-20 rating.
3. Wade Dazzles Throughout
There’s nothing quite like watching Dwyane Wade go to work.
From start to finish, Wade made good decisions with the ball and facilitated like only he can.
Of course, he also had this great and-one finish in the second quarter:
Those never get old.
In all, the 36-year-old vet recorded 18 points, a team-high six assists and five rebounds.
Other Takeaways:
-Although Bam Adebayo didn’t score all that much, he had some impressive sequences of defense against Anthony Davis and on switches in the pick-and-roll.
Oh yeah, he also came though with this massive alley-oop jam in the fourth quarter courtesy of Richardson:
Adebayo finished with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, a team-high 11 boards (four offensive), three assists, one block and a plus-13 rating.
Game Notes:
-Derrick Jones Jr. (Right Hamstring Strain) and Tyler Johnson (Right Hamstring Strain) sat out.
-Goran Dragić (Right Knee Injury), Dion Waiters (Left Ankle Surgery), Duncan Robinson (Sioux Falls Assignment) and Yante Maten (Sioux Falls Assignment) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will continue their homestand Sunday night at 6:00 PM against the Utah Jazz. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.