SUMMARY
- The Pelicans and Heat will be meeting at the Smoothie King Center tonight.
- Jimmy Butler is available to start for the Heat after a three-game hiatus.
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are going to come back after a long break. So far, their season has been fairly underwhelming but hopefully, they return during the second half of the season with a bang. They are currently ranked 8th in the Eastern Conference with a .545 record. Miami was on a 6-4 before the 2024 NBA All-Star break. However, injuries have been quite a concern lately.
Jimmy Butler got that DAWG in him! pic.twitter.com/yHwJ4X2zD6
— Heat Lead 🔥 (@HeatLead) February 22, 2024
Unlike the Heat, the New Orleans Pelicans have been performing far better this season. Last season, they never made it past the play-in tournament but now they rank 5th in the Western Conference. NOLA currently holds a 34-22 (.607) record and at this pace, they could make a decent playoff run. They will meet at the Smoothie King Center tonight.
Jimmy Butler is available to start for the Pelicans vs. Heat game
Before the All-Star break, Jimmy Butler was sidelined for three games. Sources claimed it was due to the death of a family member. This season, Butler has been averaging 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. After a slow start to the season, Butler has only just started to show a bit of consistency. Impressively, Miami has maintained an 11-7 record without him on the roster.
Jimmy Butler has returned to the Heat (@flasportsbuzz). pic.twitter.com/yV0shUqoAA
— Vice City Alerts (@ViceCityAlerts) February 22, 2024
Miami Heat Injury Report:
- Terry Rozier (Out)
- Tyler Herro (Questionable)
- Josh Richardson (Out)
- Dru Smith (Out)
Miami Heat Expected Lineup:
- Delon Wright
- Duncan Robinson
- Jimmy Butler
- Caleb Martin
- Bam Adebayo
New Orleans Pelicans Injury Report:
- Brandon Ingram (Out)
- Dyson Daniels (Out)
New Orleans Pelicans Expected Lineup:
- Trey Murphy III
- CJ McCollum
- Herbert Jones
- Zion Williamson
- Jonas Valanciunas
FLOATING.@zionwilliamson pic.twitter.com/fX2nauVzq2
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 23, 2024
The Pelicans will not be starting Ingram against the Heat to due an unspecified illness. Unfortunately, Ingram has been their best offensive star besides Williamson averaging 21.4 points, 5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. NOLA will be working with the same rotation from the Houston Rockets game that they won.
The Pelicans have an edge over Jimmy Butler and the Heat
If you take a look at their last five matchups, the Heat have won all of them. Impressively, the Heat managed to limit scoring under 100 points per game as well. But the only difference now is that they have a healthy Zion Williamson who is averaging 22.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. NOLA has been dangerous since Zion’s return.
Zion Williamson tonight:
27 points
10 assists
3 rebounds
2 steals
12/21 FGM pic.twitter.com/vmgkfRQ5lw— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) February 23, 2024
This will be their first meeting this season as their second is scheduled later in March. The Heat have a winning record against NOLA overall (25-20). Jimmy Butler will have to step up offensively since Herro and Rozier aren’t available for the game. Butler has only averaged 19.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game against the Pelicans.
NOLA and Miami both rank amongst the top ten teams in the league in terms of defense. Miami has a massive disadvantage with Herro potentially missing the game. He is their second-best scorer and their top perimeter shooter averaging 3.3 makes on 8.2 attempts per game this season. NOLA could easily take advantage of this void and dominate.