Heat vs Pelicans
Sun, Jan 4
Final
Heat
Heat
(19 - 16)
125
-
106
Pelicans
Pelicans
(8 - 28)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 43 | 27 | 23 | 32 | 125 |
| Pelicans | 39 | 23 | 15 | 29 | 106 |
Venue: Kaseya Center
GAME LEADERS
PTS
REB
AST
Norman Powell
MIA | #24 | G
34
3
3
Trey Murphy III
NOP | #25 | F
27
8
5
Smart Game Analysis
Miami Heat has a 78% chance of winning the game
The Heat are poised to hand the struggling Pelicans their seventh straight loss by exploiting New Orleans' porous defense and inability to win on the road.
Key Analysis
- • New Orleans is missing key starters Herbert Jones and Dejounte Murray, severely compromising their perimeter defense and playmaking depth.
- • Bam Adebayo provides Miami with an elite defensive option to physically contain Zion Williamson in the paint.
- • The Pelicans possess the league's 28th-ranked defense, allowing 123.1 points per game, which pairs poorly against Miami's top-3 scoring offense.
- • New Orleans enters this matchup with zero momentum, having lost six consecutive games and holding a dismal 2-12 record on the road.
- • Miami's rebounding advantage, led by Kel'el Ware's 10.6 boards per game, will be decisive against a Pelicans team with a negative rebounding differential.
- • To upset the favorites, the Pelicans need Zion Williamson to score 35+ points and for their role players to shoot efficiently from beyond the arc.
