Heat outlast Pelicans 106-101


Devdiscourse News Desk | Miami | Updated: 01-12-2018 14:53 IST | Created: 01-12-2018 09:12 IST
Heat outlast Pelicans 106-101
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Josh Richardson scored a team-high 20 points -- including a key drive with 26 seconds left -- as the Miami Heat snapped a six-game home losing streak, defeating the New Orleans Pelicans 106-101 on Friday night.

Pelicans star Anthony Davis scored 41 points, 19 of them in the third quarter. It was his third game of at least 40 points this season.

New Orleans guard Jrue Holiday added 21 points and eight assists.

Miami led by as many as 31 points in the second quarter and then held on to snap its longest home losing streak since 2008. New Orleans got as close as three points late in the fourth quarter.

Miami centre Hassan Whiteside added 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Dwyane Wade provided 18 points off the Heat bench.

The Heat won without All-Star point guard Goran Dragic, who missed his sixth straight game due to a knee injury. His backup, Tyler Johnson, missed his fifth consecutive game due to a hamstring injury.

New Orleans was without guards Elfrid Payton (fractured left pinky finger) and Frank Jackson (sprained right ankle).

Miami led 37-17 after a dominant first period. Richardson was aggressive in the quarter, scoring 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 2 of 4 on 3-pointers.

As a team, the Heat shot 63.6 percent from the floor, including 5 of 10 on 3-pointers. The Heat were plus-five on turnovers, plus-three on rebounds, plus-five on fast-break points, plus four on paint points and plus-two on second-chance points.

The Heat cooled off in the second quarter, shooting just 34.8 percent, but they still managed to hold a 61-41 halftime lead.

New Orleans, which shot 38.1 in the first quarter, improved slightly to 40 percent in the second.

The Pelicans made a huge run in the third quarter, cutting Miami's lead to four points on a Julius Randle layup with 1:13 left. The Pelicans could've cut the lead further but Solomon Hill's outlet pass was stolen by Rodney McGruder, who hit a bank shot for an 81-75 Miami lead to end the quarter.

Davis made 6 of 10 shots in the third quarter, including 2 of 3 on 3-pointers, and the Pelicans shot 50 percent from the floor as a team. Miami shot 33.3 percent in the quarter.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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