Heat dismantle Pelicans 140-128 for second preseason win

The Miami Heat were missing several key players Thursday night and they were hardly missed in a blowout 140-128 victory against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans for their second straight preseason win.

The Heat improved to 2-3 for the preseason and scored the most points in a preseason game in franchise history despite missing almost half the team.

In their second game back from injury, Josh Richardson (who scored 16 points in the first quarter) and Bam Adebayo (15 points scored in the third quarter) played spectacularly on both ends in a game they held a comfortable lead throughout with little resistance from the Pelicans. Derrick Jones Jr. returned to action after suffering a shoulder injury earlier in the preseason to also impress mightily with 18 points. The athleticism on display between the three young players made this meaningless game highly enjoyable to watch with several highlight plays from each of them.

Adebayo dazzled with an assortment of hustle plays primarily on the defensive end but he showed plenty of offensive flair with 26 points, 12 rebounds and five steals in 26 minutes of action.

Tyler Johnson had a bounce back game as the starting point guard while Goran Dragic rested with 12 points (4-8 FGs), seven rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes. Briante Weber took advantage of extra minutes by notching 14 points, four steals, three assists and three rebounds in 22 minutes.

New Orleans’ reserves made it interesting in the fourth quarter against their counterparts off Miami’s bench. But the game was decided long before that when they raced out to extend their sizable lead to start the second half and put the game away with 41 points scored in the third quarter.