Bam Adebayo posted 27 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks as the Miami Heat defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 123-111 on Wednesday night at Smoothie King Center. The game marked the final outing for both teams before the All-Star break.
Miami played with just nine available players and controlled the game with interior scoring and timely shooting. The Heat improved to 29-27 and remained eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Adebayo set the tone early, scoring 15 points in the first half as Miami took a 58-55 lead into the break. The center consistently finished through contact and anchored the defense in the paint.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. provided steady secondary scoring with 23 points off the bench, attacking closeouts and converting in transition. Kel’el Ware added 16 points and 12 rebounds, giving Miami a strong interior presence alongside Adebayo.
Simone Fontecchio finished with 15 points and delivered the decisive basket late. His three-pointer from the left corner with 54 seconds remaining pushed the lead to seven and ended New Orleans’ final push.
The Heat seized control during the third quarter with a 23-10 run that broke the game open. Ware capped the surge with a three-pointer, and Miami hit four triples during the stretch to build a 92-76 advantage.
Kasparas Jakucionis, Fontecchio, Myron Gardner and Ware each connected from beyond the arc in that sequence. Jakucionis also drew a flagrant foul after landing on Trey Murphy III’s foot on a missed three, converting all three free throws.
Miami extended the margin to 17 points early in the fourth quarter at 112-95 by maintaining pace and spacing. New Orleans briefly cut the deficit to four on Zion Williamson’s putback, but could not sustain momentum.
Williamson led the Pelicans with 26 points and continued a career-high streak of availability, appearing in his 30th straight game. He has now played 40 of 56 contests this season after rarely sustaining long stretches earlier in his career.
Murphy added 19 points before exiting late in the third quarter with soreness in his right shoulder. His departure limited New Orleans’ perimeter scoring as the home team struggled to respond defensively.
The Pelicans fell to 15-41 and saw a two-game winning streak end. New Orleans was outscored in both the third and fourth quarters after staying competitive in the opening half.
Miami finished the night shooting 41 percent from the field and 30 percent from three-point range, while converting 25 free throws. The Heat also held a 56-46 rebounding edge, which limited second-chance opportunities.
The win marked Miami’s 11th victory in its last 12 meetings with New Orleans. The Heat will visit Atlanta on Friday, Feb. 20, while the Pelicans return home to face Milwaukee the same night.
