Getty Erik Spoelstra, Heat
The Miami Heat may have elected to sit out the NBA trade deadline, but the club still found a way to make some noise on Thursday. Facing a Pelicans club that was debuting star guard CJ McCollum at Smoothie King Center, the Heat did what a title contender is supposed to against lesser competition.
They dominated down the stretch.
After failing to build a significant lead in the first half and entering the break with a one-point advantage, the Heat outscored the Pels 56-42 in the second half to secure a 112-97 win. Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo scored 29 points apiece and Kyle Lowry notched a triple-double with 14 points, 11 boards and 11 dimes.
Some bumps and bruises were definitely incurred on the way to the win, though.
For his part, PJ Tucker went down momentarily late in the second quarter with what looked like a non-contact injury from afar, making some of the Heat faithful shudder. In actuality, he had collided with NOLA big man Jonas Valanciunas and suffered a knee contusion. After the win, Heat coach Erick Spoelstra addressed the situation.
Spoelstra Talks Tucker’s Close Call
P.J. Tucker exited the game after suffering a leg injury
During his postgame press conference, Spoelstra was asked about his immediate reaction when he saw Tucker hit the hardwood in the second quarter. Clearly, alarm bells were going off in his head.
“I can’t say the amount of expletives that I was thinking, but he’s a warrior,” Spoelstra said.
The coach went to relay that his starting power forward would probably be feeling it in the morning but praised his toughness and second-half effort.
“He banged knees, so he’s going to be really sore tomorrow,” Spoelstra said. “He basically cursed us all out for suggesting that maybe he sit out the second half. You just see how tough he is, he’s able to compartmentalize and he just gave us some great minutes in that second half.”
Spoesltra had been sure that Tucker’s night was done at halftime, but the vetaran’s competitive drive won out in the end.
“When I went into the locker room I thought he was definitely out for the second half. He’s just a competitor and his spirit — all that stuff — just gives everybody so much confidence.”
The latest Heat news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Heat newsletter here!
Heat Hold Steady in Post-Deadline Power Rankings
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey updated his NBA power rankings in the wake of the trade deadline madness. And while the Heat were one of the league’s more boring teams amid the deal-making frenzy, the hoops scribe continued to recognize the team as being elite.
Miami came in fourth in the rankings, trailing just the No. 1 Suns, the No. 2 Grizzlies and the No. 3 Warriors. Wrote Bailey:
What may be most impressive about this squad staying at or near the top of the conference for most of the season is that Thursday’s game marked just the 18th time that Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry all appeared in the same game. Miami is 13-5 in those contests.
Assuming they can stay healthy from here on out, the Heat figure to be a bona fide contender. And though other potential juggernauts in the East loaded up at the deadline for the stretch run, Miami’s continuity and depth will be hard to overcome.
READ NEXT: