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Both the teams had willed through hard-fought wins against strong teams coming into this matchup. The Heat had beaten the Grizzlies with just a 3-point differential while the Pelicans had just edged past Thunder 118-114 in their most recent matchup.
Talking about this one, Miami led nearly the entire game and came away with an impressive 102-96 road victory. The aforementioned conquest of the Pelicans was Miami's third of their previous five matchups as they have now won six out of their last ten games. D-Wade and his men find themselves at the 9th spot hosting a 13-16 record.
On the other hand, the New Orleans Pelicans are finding it hard to make ends meet in the cut-throat competitive Western Conference, as they slid down to the 12th spot with a 15-16 win-loss record after their latest loss.
Let's draw some key takeaways from Dwyane Wade's farewell game in New Orleans with the Heat finishing on the winning end of the exchange.
#1 Dwyane Wade's last ever matchup in New Orleans turned out to be memorable
Wade has been cognizant of the devotion of his fans all across the country, and hence, he has been trying to be on the court for as much time as his body allows in the very last season of his career. He was sidelined with a sore back in the previous game but managed to get back in time to put a show for his fans in NOLA.
"I definitely understand the sacrifices people make to be at our games," Wade said. "I just wanted to make sure tonight I was able to get out there. And then I started feeling pretty good as it went on, got a couple shots to fall and the rest is history."
Expectedly so, he received a huge ovation when he checked in and made his first long-range attempt. He finished with an effective total of 19 points & 6 rebounds, including a driving floater over Davis to make it 100-92 with 51 seconds left in the game.
Wade walked off the court to chants of "D-Wade! D-Wade!" with fans swarming around to get a glimpse of Flash in the Heat jersey for the last time ever.
#2 The Heat outrebounded the Pelicans and their reserves outscored their counterparts 58-20
Hassan Whiteside put on display his rebounding prowess, pulling down 12 boards of his own, half of which were on the offensive glass. The Miami Heat, as a unit, tallied 69 rebounds in comparison to the Pelicans' 46. The home team was outrebounded both on the defensive(35-27) and offensive(22-11) side of the floor.
With both teams shooting below 42% from the field in this game, it was the dominance on the boards that made all the difference.
Also, Miami played all 10 players available on its roster, drawing out an impressive 58 points from the bench, whereas the Pelicans reserves were nowhere to be seen with just a lone 11-point effort from E'Twaun Moore coming to the aid.
Tyler Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Jones Jr. all scored in double digits coming off the bench, led by Wade's 19 while starter Josh Richardson posted a team-high score of 22 points to finish the night.
#3 Anthony Davis & Jrue Holiday are two pillars holding the Pelicans together
The duo of Davis & Holiday is becoming one of the least talked about combinations in recent times, considering the skill level these guys bring to the floor. Statwise, Holiday's assists average of 8.7 per game(career-high) is the 4th best in the league while AD's 28.0 points per game this season is the third best in the league as of now.
For this particular game, they were the only two players on the Pelicans side to score above 20 points for Alvin Gentry. Despite living under the defensive microscope of the opposition every game, Davis manages to post impressive numbers excelling in all aspects of the game. He finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks.
“Every time he got the ball they were running two guys at him. Once again, A.D. is not going to force shots,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “He did what he was supposed to do and he had seven assists - probably could have easily had double figures. We did not make some (open) shots.”
This was Jrue Holiday's fourth 20+ point game in the last five games he has played for the Pelicans. The way he compliments the mammoth talent in AD is one of the most underrated realizations in the NBA these days.
