Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware had double doubles, eight of their Miami teammates made in double numbers and the visiting heat made history in a 153-104 route by New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
The heat (37-44) published the highest scored game in franchise history and topped a 149-141 double-overtime victory over Denver Nuggets on March 19, 2018. Miami also ended with his second largest victory margin and hit only a 60-point victory over Portland Trail Trail Blazers on 29 March, 2024.
The Pelicans (21-60) took the biggest loss of regular season in franchise history and set a team mark for most allowed points.
Adebayo finished with 23 points and 12 returns while Ware had 10 points and 11 returns for Miami. Tyler Herro did 22, Duncan Robinson 21, Alec Burks 12, Davion Mitchell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. 11 pieces, and Andrew Wiggins, Haywood Highsmith and Keshad Johnson 10 each.
New Orleans’ Jamal Cain scored 25 points and set a career-high for the second time in two nights. Antonio Reeves added 19 and Keion Brooks Jr., Jose Alvarado and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 14 each for Pelicans, who lost their sixth game in a row, while they only had eight players dressed for a second match in a row due to injuries.
Elfrid Payton, which was signed by the Pelicans to a standard NBA contract earlier in the day after playing on a couple of 10-day contracts in the past month, had 13 assists, his fifth game in a row with at least 10 and added 10 returns.
Miami led 17 points at half-time and exceeded New Orleans 39-18 during the third quarter to take an advantage of 110-72. The heat had a 43-32 edge during the fourth quarter.
The heat scored the first seven points in the game before Payton had two field goals and two assists to help Pelicans get within three points. Herro got eight points to lead a 20-6 run that gave Miami a 17-point lead.
Reeves and Cain got three points each and New Orleans crawled within 35-24 at the end of the first quarter.
Robinson scored six points when Heat matched their biggest lead at 17 points. Cain made two 3-points, Alvarado had a 3-pointer and a three-point game and Lester Quinones added a 3-pointer during a 17-5 run that drew the Pelicans within five points.
Robinson and Herro scored six points each during a 22-10 run that left Miami with a lead of 71-54 half time.
-Field level media
