MIAMI – The New Orleans Pelicans remain mired in two brutal losing streaks after falling to the Miami Heat 119-108 on Wednesday night. Despite another strong offensive performance from Trey Murphy III, New Orleans never found its footing, and dropped its 11th consecutive game and 15th straight on the road.
Murphy’s Big Effort Not Enough
Trey Murphy III did everything he could to keep the Pelicans competitive, scoring a game-high 34 points, including a career-best 25-point first half. Murphy showed how deep his offensive repertoire is, getting into the paint to complement his perimeter shooting (5-of-15 from three-point range) and finishing 11-of-24 from the field overall. It marked his second 30-point outing of the season and the 10th of his career. Over his last 10 games, Murphy is averaging 24.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, while shooting 49.7% from the floor and 39.8% from three-point range.
CJ McCollum and Bench Spark
CJ McCollum added 22 points for the Pelicans, continuing his role as a steady offensive contributor, but only converted one of his five three-point attempts. Brandon Boston was the only scorer off the bench, chipping in 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Boston’s second-quarter burst helped New Orleans close the gap to 56-51 at halftime, providing some hope after Miami’s dominant opening quarter.
Dejounte Murray had a tough night, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting and commiting four turnovers.
Heat Stay in Control
The Heat have dominated the series with the Pelicans as of late, and have now taken nine of 10 against New Orleans.
Tyler Herro led the Heat with 32 points, overcoming a rough start from beyond the arc to catch fire in the second half. Bam Adebayo almost messed around and got a triple-double, posting 23 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists, while Duncan Robinson chipped in 17 points. The Heat got solid contributions from their bench as well. Jaime Jaquez had 12 points, and rookie Kel’el Ware finished with 10, his first game with double figures in his brief career. Miami jumped out to a 20-5 lead early, forcing the Pelicans into yet another uphill battle.
Takeaways
- Slow Starts Remain an Issue: The Pelicans gave up 36 first-quarter points and were playing catch-up all night. During their 11-game losing streak the Pelicans have trailed by an average of 4.9 points after the first quarter and 7.5 points at the half.
- Road Woes: With 15 straight losses away from home, the Pelicans’ road struggles are now historically bad. Only nine teams in NBA history have longer road-losing streaks in a single season.
- Murphy’s Improvement: While the losses pile up, Murphy’s recent performances signal growth. His ability to score in multiple ways bodes well for his development as a consistent offensive threat.
What’s Next?
The Pelicans will look to halt their losing streak when they return home to face the Washington Wizards on Friday. It’s a meeting between the two worst teams in the NBA, with the Wizards coming off of an impressive win over the Chicago Bulls.
A loss would be another embarassment in a season full of them.
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