Who: New Orleans Pelicans vs Miami Heat
When: Friday, March 6, 8:00 p.m ET
Where: Smoothie King Center
How to watch: ESPN
Needing to come out of the gates strong in the second half of the season to make a playoff push, the Pelicans have done the opposite. Four wins in the last five games appears to have completely derailed New Orleans’ playoff push.
Now, with 20 games left, the Pelicans sit five games back of the Memphis Grizzlies. It’ll take a miraculous comeback for the playoffs to become a reality in April. it’s imperative for the Pelicans to go on a winning streak.
The problem with that, though, is that the schedule will not make it easy to do so. Friday’s game comes against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference in the Heat before a four-game road trip next week.
In Miami, the Pelicans will meet a side with one of the top offenses in the league. The Heat’s 112.5 offensive rating is seventh in the league. The 3.3 net rating of the team is 10th overall as well.
Friday also sets up an intriguing match-up between Zion Williamson and Bam Adebayo. This season, Adebayo has blossomed into one of the top bigs in the league as he’s averaging 16.1 points and 10.5 rebounds. Like Brandon Ingram, Adebayo’s breakout season was rewarded with an All-Star selection.
