Zion Williamson Helps Lift Pelicans over Jimmy Butler, Heat Amid Playoff Push

The New Orleans Pelicans snapped a three-game losing streak with a 110-104 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday, but it may be too late as far as the playoff race is concerned. 

New Orleans entered the night five games back of the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference and with the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs still ahead of the Pelicans in the standings.

Despite the possible lack of playoff implications, Friday's result is still a notable step forward for the young New Orleans team. The Heat entered the night on a four-game win streak with impressive victories over the Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks as they continue to hold onto the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs. 

That the Pelicans were able to defend their home court at Smoothie King Center shows the continued growth of the franchise over the last half of the season. 

Whether or not Friday's win translates to a resurgence in the playoff race, it's a notable step on their path towards relevance in the NBA.  

Notable Performers

• Zion Williamson, SF, Pelicans: 17 points, six rebounds, two assists
• Jrue Holiday, SG, Pelicans: 20 points, six assists, six rebounds 
• Jimmy Butler, SF, Heat: 28 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals
• Duncan Robinson, SG, Heat: 24 points, five rebounds, eight three-pointers 

Zion Snaps 20-Point Streak at 13 Games

Good luck trying to convince Zion Williamson to care about his individual scoring streak after a win, but Friday marked the first time in 13 games the rookie phenom didn’t score 20 or more points. Not since Williamson’s fourth game of the season in late January has he failed to reach the 20-point mark. 

Regardless, the 17 he scored against the Heat were more than enough. The Duke product started his night 5-of-5 from the field, finished 7-of-9 and twice caught errant lob passes off the backboard for easy slam dunks. 

Williamson attempted all nine of his shots in the paint and found easy success with his back to the basket. In short, it was another classic Zion game—if that’s something that can be said after just 17 games. 

More than anything, the Pelicans just needed their rookie to play with poise all night, especially as Brandon Ingram started off 2-of-17 from the field.

A few poor stretches on offense late allowed the Heat to take a 17-4 run and cut the deficit to one with 3:55 to play in regulation.

That was while Williamson was off the floor. Once he came back, the Pelicans countered with a 10-5 run to put the game away for good. 

Duncan Robinson Sets Three Records from Three 

Miami Heat guard Duncan Robinson went undrafted out of Michigan, and he’s on a mission to make sure the rest of the league owns its mistake. 

Robinson set the single-season record for the most three-pointers by an undrafted player in a season (226 and counting), set the record for the most threes in a single season by a Miami Heat player (228 and counting) and notched his third straight game with eight or more three-pointers, tying James Harden and Damian Lillard as the only other players to accomplish the feat this season. 

Amazingly, Robinson was the only Heat player to cash in from behind the arc until Solomon Hill sank one with four minutes left in regulation. That wasn’t from lack of trying. Miami took 33 attempts from three, and only Robinson was able to get them to fall consistently. 

In the process, he’s emerged as a legitimate scoring threat for a Heat team that had already seen massive leaps in development from Bam Adebayo and Derrick Jones Jr. as well as consistent scoring from Butler. 

What's Next

The Heat wrap up their two-game road trip with a visit to Washington, D.C., to face the Wizards on Sunday before kicking off a three-game homestand against the Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls. New Orleans' road doesn't get any easier as it takes off on a four-game road trip to Minnesota, Sacramento, Utah and Los Angeles.