The Miami Heat erupted for a franchise-record-tying offensive display Friday night, dismantling the injury-riddled New Orleans Pelicans 153-104 in a game that became the most lopsided regular-season loss in Pelicans franchise history.
Despite the dominant win, Miami’s hopes of climbing to the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference were extinguished when Chicago notched a victory of their own. That result locked the Heat into the 10th seed, setting up a must-win play-in game in Chicago on Wednesday night. The winner will still have to win a second play-in game to advance to the playoffs.
Bam Adebayo led the charge for Miami, scoring 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action. Tyler Herro added 22 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting clip, while Duncan Robinson chipped in 21 points in 19 minutes as Miami cruised wire-to-wire, never trailing and building a lead as large as 52 points.
The offensive outburst was historic — ten different Heat players scored in double figures, tying an NBA record that had only occurred eight previous times, most recently in 1994.
Herro’s 3-pointer to open the second half kickstarted a 10-0 Heat run that ballooned the lead to 81-54, effectively erasing any hopes of a New Orleans comeback.
It was a night to forget for the Pelicans, who lost their sixth straight game and suited up only eight players for the second consecutive night. Jamal Cain led New Orleans with 25 points, while Antonio Reeves scored 19. Elfrid Payton tallied 13 assists and 10 rebounds in the loss.
New Orleans’ roster was decimated by injuries, with Karlo Matkovic (hamstring), Brandon Boston Jr. (ankle), Kelly Olynyk (Achilles), Yves Missi (ankle), Jordan Hawkins (back), and Bruce Brown (knee) all inactive. Pelle Larsson (ankle) and Isaiah Stevens (foot) also didn’t play.
Miami shot a scorching 55.8% from the field (58-of-104), compared to just 40% for New Orleans (38-of-95). The Heat outscored the Pelicans 70-46 in the paint. The 153 points were the most the Heat have scored in a game since 1991.
Both teams wrap up the regular season on Sunday. The Heat will host the Washington Wizards, while the Pelicans return home to face the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder. For Miami, all eyes are now on Wednesday’s play-in matchup in Chicago — the first step in what they hope is another deep postseason run.
