Pelicans Extinguish Heat 105-91 Despite Tragic Injuries

Eric Gordon is back.

At the start of the season Gordon was playing like a borderline D-leaguer. His production was completely absent and most Pelicans fans were adamant that his contract was the worst in the league, but his recent uptick in production has drastically changed that perception.

Eric Gordon is averaging 14.7 points, 4.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds while shooting a remarkable 50.4% from three since returning from injury.

In comparison, All-Star guard Kyle Korver is averaging 12.7 points, 2.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 51.1% from deep so far this season.

Clearly Gordon has found his role on the team, and is establishing himself as one of the best shooters in the league.

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Though Gordon was the team’s clear leader tonight, the entire Pelicans (28-27) roster dominated and controlled this game from the start. they held the Heat (23-31) to only 14 points in the first quarter and forced them to shoot 26% from the field.

Recently acquired Pelican’s guard Norris Cole was a significant reason they were able to keep the Heat in check.

Feb 21, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Norris Cole (30) drives to the basket against the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

No one in the entire Heat organization has a bad thing to say about Cole. Coach Eric Spolestra considered him one of his favorite players and NBA veteran Juwan Howard remarked upon his incredible work ethic and mature attitude.

The fact is that Cole is one of the toughest and hardest working players in the league, and his determination to set the pace and push this team forward propelled them towards an easy win.

Sadly, Anthony Davis hit Hassan Whiteside hard off a rebound and left the game with a right shoulder injury in the first quarter.

In addition, Ryan Anderson left the game with a knee injury within the first 4 minutes of the 2nd quarter. It looked like the Pelicans would fall once again tonight, though they clearly rose to the occasion and executed the way we know they should.

Without Mario Chalmers the Heat would have fallen completely tonight. Chalmers had 16 of the teams first 24 points and seemed to be the only Heat player capable of keeping up with the Pelicans roster.

Also, Goran Dragic made his debut tonight as a member of the Miami Heat, though and he ended with only 12 points and one assist on 4/11 shooting. Cole on the other hand ended with 12 points on 4/9 shooting and he managed to pick up 3 assists and 6 rebounds as well.

Though Cole fought to set the pace, and clearly outplayed Dragic, Gordon was the Pelicans most valuable player tonight. He shot 6/11 from three and ended the game with 24 points, scoring 16 of those in the third quarter alone.

Feb 21, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) pressures New Orleans Pelicans guard Eric Gordon (10) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The third quarter was when the Pelicans truly demolished the Heat, scoring 33 points in total and creating a 25 point lead.

Omer Asik also looked comfortable and composed on the offensive end, something we see very rarely. He ended with 15 points and shot 6/9 from the field in addition to going 3/5 from the line.

Asik has some of the worst hands in the league and at some points misses blatantly open lay-ups, so it was refreshing to see him score with such confidence.

Tyreke Evans continued to struggle on offense though, he shot 4/14 form the field and had trouble getting into the paint and past Hassan Whiteside. He actually deferred the ball to Cole on multiple possessions due to his inability to create offensive momentum.

Quincy Pondexter‘s box score stats aren’t great, but he was playing like a guy on a 10 day contract tonight. He hustled all over the court and was clearly the Pelicans best perimeter defender in the absence of Jrue Holiday.

His ability to shoot from three made him a more natural fit in the starting lineup as well. Dante Cunningham‘s original charm is starting to fade, and the Pelican’s clearly realize he isn’t a long-term solution at the Small Forward position.

The Pelicans rallied tonight when they were well could have given up and fallen in Anderson, Davis and Jrue Holiday‘s absence.

Wins like this show that even the rotational players of this team are capable of winning games, despite the fact that they have failed to retain any level of consistency throughout the regular season.

The Pelicans six best players have played exactly 12 games together this season, so we still have no idea what this roster can achieve when healthy.

Hopefully soon the Pelicans will soon be able to show the league what they are truly capable of, but until then this team remains a mystery.

Next: Anthony Davis and the Future of Basketball in New Orleans

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