Jacari McRae | November 17th, 2019
Another game. Another win. The Miami Heat took care of business Saturday by defeating the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 109-94. The victory pushes the Heat record to 9-3, tying their best start in franchise history.
Here are my takeaways from the team’s victory over the Pelicans.
Heat remains undefeated at home
The Heat finished last season with an underwhelming 19-22 home record. This season, the team wants the change that. And they’re off to a strong start with a 5-0 record following Saturday’s win over the Pelicans. Miami is one of five remaining teams with unbeaten records at home.
The Heat are not only winning at home, but they’re blowing out teams at home. Miami’s five wins at home have come by an average of 17.4 per game. The team is doing a terrific job of protecting home-court so far.
Jimmy struggles offensively but found other ways to be impactful
The shots weren’t falling for Jimmy Butler on Saturday. He shot 4 of 11 from the field and also recorded six turnovers. However, he still found other ways to impact the game.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1195912026247315456
Even on a bad shooting night, Butler finished with 16 points after hitting 7-for-7 on the free-throw line. And even with the turnover issues, he still dished out 13 assists. As Butler has shown this season, he’s able to make multiple plays without scoring.
Chris Silva’s impact
With the game being close midway in the third period, the Heat needed an energy boost. And the guy who provided that was Chris Silva. Silva played in a huge role in the Heat’s 17-4 run to close the third quarter.
Silva rebounded the ball, contested shots, and even drew an offensive foul. Even though he doesn’t have plays run for him, his minutes on Saturday were impactful. There’s no question he’s getting a standard NBA contract once the Heat are able to offer one in January.
Next up: The Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. Game tips off at 7:30PM ET
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