2013 NBA Preseason – Miami Heat vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Game Preview
The perfect Pelicans are taking on the defending champs on Wednesday night in a preseason game at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana.
New Orleans has yet to lose a game in six preseason games—a good sign for a young team looking to make an impression in the upcoming 2013-2014 NBA regular season.
Miami, meanwhile, holds a 4-2 win-loss card in their exhibition games and slowly but surely is getting back to form in preparation for their title defense in the new season which begins play roughly one week away.
The Pelicans averaged 94.1 points per game in 2012 and ranked 25th among all 30 NBA teams. However, in this preseason, they score 102.0 points per outing—a marked improvement with the arrival of new faces and the continued development of their young guns.
Their top gun is, of course, power forward Anthony Davis who was the top pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. The 20-year-old sophomore looks to have a breakout season, and his 2013 preseason numbers have affirmed the possibility of that happening in 2013.
Davis has scored 16 points or more in all of the six games, including a 29-point output in a 99-to-95 win versus the Orlando Magic. He also added 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 4 blocked shots in that game.
Offseason acquisition Jrue Holiday has been solid as well, averaging 12.1 points, 7.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while key starter Eric Gordon dropped 16 and 21 points in previous two preseason games for New Orleans.
The Heat racked up three straight wins to start the preseason but has lost two out of three. In the last game, they easily defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 121-to-96, even though LeBron James did not suit up.
James, along with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade are once again the focal point of the scheme of things at Miami, but who joins them in the Heat rotation will be the question going into the NBA regular season.
Michael Beasley was signed in the offseason, and the volatile forward has had nice preseason games so far. In three games, he averaged 11.3 PPG and 3.7 RPG for the Heat. The Heat’s other prized offseason acquisition, the injury-prone Greg Oden, has logged in a grand total of 0 minutes so far with his new team.
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