The New Orleans Pelicans showed up ready to play.
Even with Brandon Ingram on the shelf and Zion Williamson managing to score just four points, they still beat the Miami Heat on the road by more than 20 points.
Granted, the Heat also had some absences of their own, with Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, and Kevin Love all on the shelf.
Nonetheless, Willie Green’s team had the game marked on their calendar, and the players made sure to make a statement in South Beach.
Following the win, coach Green admitted that the players took some things that Heat players had said to heart, so they were very motivated to get back at them after their loss earlier in the season (via Will Guillory).
“They said some things in the media. We heard it and we wanted to respond,” Green said.
Willie Green:
“They said some things in the media. We heard it and we wanted to respond.”
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) March 23, 2024
To put this in context, this comes on the heels of Jimmy Butler stating that the Heat would beat them again later in the season because they were ‘just a better team.’
The Pelicans and Heat got into a physical altercation that saw three players get ejected in their first matchup of the campaign, so there’s clearly some bad blood here.
Unfortunately, their chances of meeting in the playoffs are quite slim at this point, as they’re not likely to make it to the NBA Finals.
Even so, the Pelicans should get bragging rights over the Heat right now, as they have a better record, so perhaps Butler wasn’t so right about who was the better team when he poked the bear with those comments earlier in the season.
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Jimmy Butler Doubles Down On Comments About Pelicans