Heat bench closes hard after Pelicans rally in 128-118 win at Kaseya Center

Miami wrestled back control before halftime

The first quarter hinted at the kind of night this would become. Miami scored the first five points, pushed ahead 16-7 midway through the period and seemed ready to settle in behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s interior scoring. New Orleans answered with shot-making. Jordan Poole drilled 30-foot and 25-foot threes in the final 1:08 of the quarter, helping the Pelicans turn a one-point deficit into a 36-33 lead after one.

Miami’s response came in the second. Antetokounmpo tied the game at 41-41 with a hook shot at 9:30, and the Heat kept finding productive possessions after that. Andrew Wiggins added a three and a pair of finishes in the lane, Davion Mitchell kept the ball moving, and Miami stacked up a 40-point quarter to take a 73-64 halftime lead. Antetokounmpo finished with 18 points and four assists in 18 minutes, while Mitchell handed out seven assists against one turnover.

That middle stretch said a great deal about why Miami won. The Heat did not just outscore New Orleans for a quarter; they played the cleaner game. Miami finished with 36 assists and only 11 turnovers, a combination that kept the floor organized and repeatedly turned good touches into better ones. Even on a night when the Pelicans made 19 threes, Miami created enough paint pressure and enough transition offence to keep the scoreboard moving.

New Orleans made the game wobble, then the Heat bench steadied it

The Pelicans were still within reach at halftime, and their push in the third quarter was real. Derik Queen scored 30 seconds into the period, Yves Missi followed with a dunk, and Jeremiah Fears later produced a four-point play at 8:52 to bring New Orleans within four. The quarter kept tilting back and forth from there. Missi was active around the rim, Kobe Bufkin hit from deep, and Karlo Matkovic’s driving layup with 49.5 seconds left tied the game at 93-93 before Jaron Pierre Jr. buried a 27-footer with 8.9 seconds remaining to give New Orleans a 96-93 edge entering the fourth.

Miami answered with its depth. Myron Gardner opened the final period by tying the game at 96-96, and the Heat survived another Pelicans surge that pushed the score to 109-107 on Matkovic’s alley-oop dunk with 6:29 left. From there, Miami found the decisive sequence. Gardner hit a three at 6:21, Nick Richards scored inside, Tre Donaldson knocked down a three at 5:11, and Ian Schieffelin added a hook shot for a 117-110 lead. By the time Richards finished at the rim again with 2:57 remaining, the Heat had turned that 109-107 deficit into a 122-113 cushion.

That closing stretch belonged largely to Miami’s reserves. Donaldson scored 12 points and made both of his fourth-quarter threes. Gardner also scored 11, hit three triples overall and added four assists with three steals. Richards gave Miami nine rebounds, while J’Vonne Hadley’s late three with 36 seconds left effectively closed the door. The Heat did not rely on one late isolation scorer; they pieced together the finish through quick decisions and a fresh group that kept producing useful possessions.

Our take

The winning margin came from details that usually travel well: ball security, passing and the ability to turn mistakes into points. Miami scored 28 points off New Orleans turnovers, held a 36-22 edge in assists and added 30 fast-break points with 58 more in the paint. That is not a fluky formula. Even with an uneven free-throw night at 18-for-28, the Heat generated enough high-value offence to absorb New Orleans’ perimeter shooting.

For the Pelicans, the frustrating part is that several elements were good enough to win. They made 19 of 43 from three-point range and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, which usually gives a team enough extra offence to control long stretches. Poole’s quick scoring burst changed the first quarter, Fears helped drive the third-quarter comeback, and Pierre kept firing in the fourth. But 21 turnovers undercut too many of those gains. When New Orleans completed possessions, it looked dangerous; when it gave Miami runout chances and short fields, the game tilted back the other way. On a night with 12 lead changes, that was the difference that lasted.

Scoring moments

1st Quarter · 11:21
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes 11-foot fade away jump shot
1st Quarter · 10:54
Andrew Wiggins makes running layup (Davion Mitchell assists)
1st Quarter · 10:54
Andrew Wiggins makes free throw 1 of 1
1st Quarter · 10:40
Trey Murphy III makes free throw 2 of 2
1st Quarter · 9:59
Klay Thompson makes 24-foot running jump shot (Davion Mitchell assists)
1st Quarter · 9:31
Jeremiah Fears makes 32-foot three point jumper (Zion Williamson assists)
1st Quarter · 9:10
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes 5-foot hook shot (Klay Thompson assists)
1st Quarter · 8:56
Andrew Wiggins makes free throw 1 of 2
1st Quarter · 8:56
Andrew Wiggins makes free throw 2 of 2
1st Quarter · 8:47
Zion Williamson makes driving layup
1st Quarter · 8:15
Yves Missi makes free throw 2 of 2
1st Quarter · 8:05
Bam Adebayo makes layup (Davion Mitchell assists)
1st Quarter · 7:44
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes 11-foot two point shot (Klay Thompson assists)
1st Quarter · 7:32
Trey Murphy III makes 3-foot driving dunk
1st Quarter · 7:12
Yves Missi makes 6-foot two point shot
1st Quarter · 7:01
Davion Mitchell makes 27-foot three point jumper (Giannis Antetokounmpo assists)
1st Quarter · 6:32
Bennedict Mathurin makes two point shot
1st Quarter · 6:07
Saddiq Bey makes 26-foot three point jumper (Trey Murphy III assists)
1st Quarter · 5:50
Bam Adebayo makes 24-foot three point jumper (Bobby Portis assists)
1st Quarter · 5:18
Bennedict Mathurin makes layup
1st Quarter · 5:01
Trey Murphy III makes free throw 1 of 2
1st Quarter · 5:01
Trey Murphy III makes free throw 2 of 2
1st Quarter · 4:54
Bam Adebayo makes 3-foot driving dunk
1st Quarter · 4:35
Yves Missi makes 2-foot dunk
1st Quarter · 4:29
Klay Thompson makes 11-foot fade away jump shot
1st Quarter · 4:17
Saddiq Bey makes free throw 1 of 2
1st Quarter · 4:17
Saddiq Bey makes free throw 2 of 2
1st Quarter · 3:41
Jordan Poole makes free throw 1 of 2
1st Quarter · 3:14
Zion Williamson makes free throw 1 of 2
1st Quarter · 3:14
Zion Williamson makes free throw 2 of 2
1st Quarter · 2:45
Nikola Jovic makes 24-foot three point jumper (Ryan Conwell assists)
1st Quarter · 2:21
Tim Hardaway Jr. makes running layup (Ryan Conwell assists)
1st Quarter · 2:08
Derik Queen makes free throw 2 of 2
1st Quarter · 1:35
Saddiq Bey makes free throw 1 of 2
1st Quarter · 1:35
Saddiq Bey makes free throw 2 of 2
1st Quarter · 1:08
Jordan Poole makes 30-foot three point jumper (Herbert Jones assists)
1st Quarter · 35.2
Jordan Poole makes 25-foot three point jumper (Herbert Jones assists)
1st Quarter · 26.0
Bobby Portis makes 7-foot two point shot
2nd Quarter · 11:43
Jordan Poole makes free throw 1 of 2
2nd Quarter · 11:43
Jordan Poole makes free throw 2 of 2
2nd Quarter · 11:21
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes 2-foot running dunk (Davion Mitchell assists)
2nd Quarter · 11:00
Jordan Poole makes 25-foot three pointer
2nd Quarter · 10:46
Tim Hardaway Jr. makes free throw 2 of 3
2nd Quarter · 10:24
Nikola Jovic makes 24-foot three point jumper (Giannis Antetokounmpo assists)
2nd Quarter · 9:30
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes 4-foot hook shot (Nikola Jovic assists)
2nd Quarter · 8:56
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes 2-foot running dunk (Tim Hardaway Jr. assists)
2nd Quarter · 8:36
Zion Williamson makes 7-foot two point shot (Trey Murphy III assists)
2nd Quarter · 8:17
Trey Murphy III makes 27-foot three point jumper (Jordan Poole assists)
2nd Quarter · 7:51
Bobby Portis makes 9-foot floating jump shot
2nd Quarter · 6:57
Tim Hardaway Jr. makes 26-foot running jump shot (Bam Adebayo assists)
2nd Quarter · 6:22
Bam Adebayo makes free throw 1 of 2
2nd Quarter · 6:22
Bam Adebayo makes free throw 2 of 2
2nd Quarter · 6:11
Bennedict Mathurin makes 26-foot three pointer
2nd Quarter · 5:36
Andrew Wiggins makes free throw 1 of 2
2nd Quarter · 5:19
Davion Mitchell makes driving layup (Simone Fontecchio assists)
2nd Quarter · 4:55
Jeremiah Fears makes 14-foot two point shot
2nd Quarter · 4:43
Andrew Wiggins makes 10-foot floating jump shot
2nd Quarter · 4:24
Simone Fontecchio makes layup (Bam Adebayo assists)
2nd Quarter · 4:24
Simone Fontecchio makes free throw 1 of 1
2nd Quarter · 4:03
Andrew Wiggins makes 25-foot three point jumper (Davion Mitchell assists)
2nd Quarter · 3:36
Davion Mitchell makes running layup (Giannis Antetokounmpo assists)
2nd Quarter · 3:13
Trey Murphy III makes 26-foot three point jumper (Bennedict Mathurin assists)
2nd Quarter · 3:01
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes layup (Davion Mitchell assists)
2nd Quarter · 2:43
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes free throw 1 of 2
2nd Quarter · 2:43
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes free throw 2 of 2
2nd Quarter · 2:30
Jordan Poole makes driving layup
2nd Quarter · 2:12
Saddiq Bey makes 26-foot three point jumper (Jeremiah Fears assists)
2nd Quarter · 2:04
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes 2-foot driving dunk (Davion Mitchell assists)
2nd Quarter · 1:55
Zion Williamson makes driving layup
2nd Quarter · 1:43
Davion Mitchell makes layup (Klay Thompson assists)
2nd Quarter · 1:16
Saddiq Bey makes 2-foot running dunk (Jordan Poole assists)
2nd Quarter · 41.5
Andrew Wiggins makes running layup (Giannis Antetokounmpo assists)
2nd Quarter · 25.9
Bennedict Mathurin makes free throw 2 of 2
3rd Quarter · 11:30
Derik Queen makes layup (Bryce McGowens assists)
3rd Quarter · 10:38
Yves Missi makes 1-foot running dunk (Bryce McGowens assists)
3rd Quarter · 9:42
Simone Fontecchio makes 24-foot three point jumper (Tim Hardaway Jr. assists)
3rd Quarter · 9:22
Jeremiah Fears makes 2-foot dunk (Bryce McGowens assists)
3rd Quarter · 9:08
Bobby Portis makes free throw 2 of 3
3rd Quarter · 9:08
Bobby Portis makes free throw 3 of 3
3rd Quarter · 8:52
Jeremiah Fears makes 22-foot three point jumper (Derik Queen assists)
3rd Quarter · 8:52
Jeremiah Fears makes free throw 1 of 1
3rd Quarter · 8:39
Bobby Portis makes 10-foot two point shot
3rd Quarter · 8:27
Yves Missi makes 4-foot alley oop dunk (Jeremiah Fears assists)
3rd Quarter · 7:10
Nikola Jovic makes 3-foot dunk (Bobby Portis assists)
3rd Quarter · 6:43
Derik Queen makes 3-foot two point shot
3rd Quarter · 6:31
Ryan Conwell makes free throw 2 of 2
3rd Quarter · 6:18
Yves Missi makes free throw 1 of 2
3rd Quarter · 6:18
Yves Missi makes free throw 2 of 2
3rd Quarter · 5:01
Tim Hardaway Jr. makes 2-foot running dunk (Ryan Conwell assists)
3rd Quarter · 4:34
Tim Hardaway Jr. makes 25-foot three pointer (Ryan Conwell assists)
3rd Quarter · 4:05
Bobby Portis makes 24-foot three point jumper (Nikola Jovic assists)
3rd Quarter · 3:43
Kobe Bufkin makes 23-foot three pointer (Bryce McGowens assists)
3rd Quarter · 2:44
Trendon Watford makes two point shot
3rd Quarter · 2:41
Ryan Conwell makes free throw 1 of 2
3rd Quarter · 2:41
Ryan Conwell makes free throw 2 of 2
3rd Quarter · 1:50
Karlo Matkovic makes 23-foot three point jumper (Trendon Watford assists)
3rd Quarter · 1:34
Kobe Bufkin makes 27-foot running pullup jump shot
3rd Quarter · 49.5
Karlo Matkovic makes driving layup
3rd Quarter · 8.9
Jaron Pierre Jr. makes 27-foot three point jumper (Kobe Bufkin assists)
4th Quarter · 11:40
Myron Gardner makes 26-foot three pointer (Tre Donaldson assists)
4th Quarter · 10:53
Jaron Pierre Jr. makes 25-foot three point jumper (Trendon Watford assists)
4th Quarter · 10:16
Tre Donaldson makes 5-foot driving floating jump shot (Myron Gardner assists)
4th Quarter · 9:46
Myron Gardner makes free throw 1 of 2
4th Quarter · 9:46
Myron Gardner makes free throw 2 of 2
4th Quarter · 9:27
Caleb Houstan makes 23-foot three point jumper (Bryce McGowens assists)
4th Quarter · 9:13
Karlo Matkovic makes two point shot
4th Quarter · 8:08
J'Vonne Hadley makes tip shot
4th Quarter · 7:32
Myron Gardner makes 26-foot three point jumper (J'Vonne Hadley assists)
4th Quarter · 7:07
Jaron Pierre Jr. makes 25-foot three point jumper (Christian Koloko assists)
4th Quarter · 6:52
Tre Donaldson makes driving layup
4th Quarter · 6:29
Karlo Matkovic makes 1-foot alley oop dunk (Bryce McGowens assists)
4th Quarter · 6:21
Myron Gardner makes 26-foot three point jumper (Tre Donaldson assists)
4th Quarter · 5:40
Nick Richards makes 6-foot layup (Ian Schieffelin assists)
4th Quarter · 5:39
Bryce McGowens makes technical free throw
4th Quarter · 5:11
Tre Donaldson makes 26-foot three point jumper (Myron Gardner assists)
4th Quarter · 4:41
Ian Schieffelin makes 4-foot hook shot
4th Quarter · 4:21
Kobe Bufkin makes 26-foot three pointer
4th Quarter · 3:31
Tre Donaldson makes 22-foot three point jumper (Myron Gardner assists)
4th Quarter · 2:57
Nick Richards makes driving layup (Myron Gardner assists)
4th Quarter · 2:15
Jaron Pierre Jr. makes 27-foot three pointer (Bryce McGowens assists)
4th Quarter · 1:59
Tre Donaldson makes 7-foot floating jump shot
4th Quarter · 1:14
Nick Richards makes free throw 2 of 2
4th Quarter · 36.0
J'Vonne Hadley makes 24-foot three pointer (Ian Schieffelin assists)
4th Quarter · 21.6
Julian Reese makes tip shot

New Orleans Pelicans — Players

Player	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	OREB	DREB	PF	+/-
Zion Williamson	16	8	3-9	0-1	2-2	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	2	+2
Trey Murphy III	14	11	3-8	2-6	3-4	1	2	1	1	0	1	0	0	-13
Yves Missi	19	11	4-6	0-0	3-5	9	0	0	0	0	4	5	2	-5
Bennedict Mathurin	14	8	3-7	1-3	1-2	4	1	2	0	0	2	2	3	-12
Jeremiah Fears	19	11	4-8	2-5	1-1	2	2	3	0	0	0	2	2	-3
Herbert Jones	10	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	3	2	0	2	0	1	2	4	0
Trendon Watford	15	2	1-5	0-0	0-0	7	2	0	0	1	3	4	1	+6
Caleb Houstan	15	3	1-4	1-4	0-0	2	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	-6
Julian Reese	3	2	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	-1
Malik Dia	6	0	0-3	0-1	0-0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	-8
Karlo Matkovic	12	9	4-7	1-3	0-0	3	0	2	0	0	0	3	0	+1
Christian Koloko	4	0	0-1	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	1	2	2	0	0	-1
Derik Queen	16	5	2-3	0-0	1-2	8	1	5	0	1	1	7	2	-1
Jordan Poole	13	14	4-5	3-4	3-4	1	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	+4
Saddiq Bey	17	12	3-7	2-4	4-4	5	0	1	0	0	1	4	2	-4
Bryce McGowens	20	1	0-5	0-2	1-1	3	7	2	3	0	1	2	1	-7
Kobe Bufkin	12	9	3-6	3-4	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	-2
Jaron Pierre Jr.	13	12	4-6	4-6	0-0	1	0	2	0	1	0	1	4	0

Miami Heat — Players

Player	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	OREB	DREB	PF	+/-
Giannis Antetokounmpo	18	18	8-13	0-0	2-5	4	4	2	1	0	2	2	2	0
Andrew Wiggins	15	13	4-5	1-1	4-5	2	0	0	1	0	1	1	3	+12
Bam Adebayo	16	9	3-5	1-1	2-3	4	2	0	1	0	1	3	0	+11
Klay Thompson	14	5	2-7	1-6	0-0	1	3	0	1	3	0	1	2	+7
Davion Mitchell	20	9	4-6	1-1	0-0	1	7	1	0	0	0	1	0	+15
Bobby Portis	20	11	4-13	1-4	2-3	6	2	2	2	1	3	3	0	-5
Simone Fontecchio	14	6	2-6	1-4	1-1	3	1	1	0	0	0	3	0	+5
Myron Gardner	15	11	3-6	3-5	2-2	4	4	0	3	1	0	4	1	+2
Ian Schieffelin	12	2	1-3	0-1	0-0	2	2	1	0	0	1	1	0	+13
J'Vonne Hadley	12	5	2-5	1-1	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	+13
Nikola Jovic	21	8	3-8	2-5	0-0	4	2	0	2	2	2	2	4	-15
Nick Richards	15	5	2-3	0-0	1-2	9	0	3	1	1	1	8	0	+2
Tim Hardaway Jr.	19	11	4-8	2-6	1-3	3	2	0	0	0	1	2	1	+1
Tre Donaldson	15	12	5-8	2-3	0-0	1	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	+2
Ryan Conwell	14	3	0-4	0-3	3-4	1	4	0	0	0	0	1	4	-13

New Orleans Pelicans — Team statistics

FG	40-91
Field Goal %	44
3PT	19-43
Three Point %	44
FT	19-25
Free Throw %	76
Rebounds	54
Offensive Rebounds	17
Defensive Rebounds	37
Assists	22
Steals	10
Blocks	5
Turnovers	22
Team Turnovers	0
Total Turnovers	22
Technical Fouls	0
Total Technical Fouls	0
Flagrant Fouls	0
Points Conceded Off Turnovers	30
Fast Break Points	11
Points in Paint	40
Fouls	25
Largest Lead	6
Lead Changes	12
Percent Led	19

Miami Heat — Team statistics

FG	47-100
Field Goal %	47
3PT	16-41
Three Point %	39
FT	18-28
Free Throw %	64
Rebounds	47
Offensive Rebounds	15
Defensive Rebounds	32
Assists	36
Steals	12
Blocks	8
Turnovers	11
Team Turnovers	0
Total Turnovers	11
Technical Fouls	1
Total Technical Fouls	1
Flagrant Fouls	0
Points Conceded Off Turnovers	13
Fast Break Points	30
Points in Paint	58
Fouls	17
Largest Lead	13
Lead Changes	12
Percent Led	73