Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware had double-doubles, eight of their Miami teammates scored in double figures and the visiting Heat made history in a 153-104 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
The Heat (37-44) posted the highest-scoring game in franchise history, topping a 149-141 double-overtime win over the Denver Nuggets on March 19, 2018. Miami also wound up with its second-biggest margin of victory, trailing just a 60-point win over the Portland Trail Blazers on March 29, 2024.
The Pelicans (21-60) took the biggest regular-season loss in franchise history and set a team mark for most points allowed.
Adebayo finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds while Ware had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Miami. Tyler Herro scored 22, Duncan Robinson 21, Alec Burks 12, Davion Mitchell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. 11 apiece, and Andrew Wiggins, Haywood Highsmith and Keshad Johnson 10 each.
The Heat are assured of finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference, giving them a Wednesday play-in game on the road against the ninth-place Chicago Bulls.
New Orleans’ Jamal Cain scored 25 points, setting 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 the Pelicans, who lost their sixth consecutive game while having just eight players dressed for a second consecutive game because of injuries.
Elfrid Payton, who was signed by the Pelicans to a standard NBA contract earlier in the day after playing on a pair of 10-day contracts during the last month, had 13 assists, his fifth consecutive game with at least 10, and added 10 rebounds.
Miami led by 17 points at halftime and outscored New Orleans 39-18 in the third quarter to take a 110-72 advantage. The Heat had a 43-32 edge in the fourth quarter.
The Heat scored the first seven points of the game before Payton had two field goals and two assists to help the Pelicans get within three points. Herro scored eight points to lead a 20-6 run that gave Miami a 17-point lead.
Reeves and Cain scored three points each and New Orleans crept within 35-24 at the end of the first quarter.
Robinson scored six points as the Heat matched their biggest lead of 17 points. Cain made two 3-pointers, Alvarado had a 3-pointer and a three-point play and Lester Quinones added a 3-pointer during a 17-5 run that pulled the Pelicans within five points.
Robinson and Herro scored six points each during a 22-10 run that left Miami with a 71-54 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
