Tyler Herro scored 32 points to lead five Miami players in double figures, and the Heat defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 119-108 on Wednesday night.
Bam Adebayo added 23 points and 10 assists, Duncan Robinson contributed 17 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 12, and Kel’el Ware had 10 points for Miami. Jimmy Butler, returning after missing five games due to a flu-like illness, finished with nine points in 25 minutes.
Terry Rozier was suspended for one game due to his involvement in a skirmish during a 104-100 win against Houston on Sunday.
Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 34 points, just one shy of his season high. CJ McCollum added 22 points, Brandon Boston scored 14, and Dejounte Murray chipped in 12 points for New Orleans, who lost their 11th straight game and their 20th in the last 21 games.
Miami scored the first five points of the second half to take a 61-51 lead. McCollum then hit three straight field goals for the Pelicans to close the gap to three points.
Robinson responded with seven straight points to push the Heat’s lead to 80-70. The Pelicans managed four more points, but Miami finished the third quarter with a 10-2 run, leading 90-76.
The Pelicans pulled within 111-104 after a 3-pointer by McCollum with 2:47 left, but that was as close as they got.
Miami started strong, scoring the first seven points of the game and jumping to a 20-5 lead. Adebayo scored five points, and Herro added four. New Orleans cut the lead to six, but Ware helped Miami extend the lead to 30-19 with five straight points.
Nikola Jovic hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Heat a 36-24 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Miami stretched the lead to 17 points before Murphy scored 13 points to help the Pelicans get within one point, 50-49. Butler and Herro each hit a 3-pointer, and the Heat took a 56-51 lead at halftime.
