Despite losing Zion Williamson to injury in their first game at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the better teams in the tournament, going 3-1 and earning the No. 4 seed. On Saturday, the Pelicans will be put to the test and take on the No. 5 seed Miami Heat (3-1) in the quarterfinals.
Unlike the Pelicans, the Heat don’t have a single top-10 pick on their roster, but that hasn’t stopped them from rolling through the competition in Las Vegas. In fact, their leading scorer, Kendrick Nunn, went undrafted in 2018. Nunn is averaging 21 points per game on 55 percent shooting from the field to go along with 6.3 assists and 5 rebounds per game.
However, even without Williamson and Frank Jackson, who scored 30 points in 32 minutes in his first and only game, the Pelicans are in a good position to knock off the Heat. Since Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaxson Hayes joined the team earlier this week, they’ve averaged a combined 44.5 points per game through two games. Hayes has also contributed two blocks per game.
While the Heat could continue their hot stretch of play, the Pelicans’ talent should carry them through to a least the semifinals. Tip-off will be at 5:30 p.m. PT on Saturday.
