The Pelicans let their recreation do the speaking in a 111-88 blowout win over the Warmth on Friday evening. Afterward, Jimmy Butler had a troublesome time accepting defeat.
“I am gonna stick by what I mentioned, we’re nonetheless the higher crew,” mentioned Butler.
His feedback got here 4 weeks after the Warmth and Pelicans have been concerned in a tussle in New Orleans. Following that recreation, a 106-95 Miami win, Butler emphatically declared, “We’ll beat them subsequent time, too. We’re only a higher crew.”
Butler is a variety of issues for the Warmth, however a prophet is not one in all them.
The Pels’ glorious protection shut down Butler and your complete Warmth offense. Ahead Herb Jones, who must be a 2023-24 First-Group All-Protection crew member, locked up Butler, giving the six-time All-Star no room to breathe.
At worst, Butler’s remark following Miami’s ugly loss highlights a conceit that would sink the Warmth within the playoffs. In probably the most beneficiant studying, he is sustaining confidence in a crew that performs its finest throughout the postseason.
Nonetheless, it is troublesome to not scoff at him after his crew failed to point out up in a recreation New Orleans’ two finest gamers mixed for 4 factors. Ahead Brandon Ingram (hyperextended knee) is out for no less than two weeks, whereas energy ahead Zion Williamson solely scored 4 factors in 25 minutes on the second evening of a back-to-back.
It is much more worrisome, contemplating the Warmth ought to have had this recreation circled after Butler pledged a victory.
With the win, New Orleans (43-27, fifth in Western Convention) is 1.5 video games behind the Clippers for a top-four seed.
Miami (38-32, seventh in Jap Convention) dropped 1.5 video games again of the Pacers for sixth within the East and is 4-6 in its final 10 video games.
The Warmth have a manageable end-of-season schedule with 5 of their last 12 video games towards the Path Blazers, Wizards, Hawks and Raptors, groups exterior the highest 10 of their respective conferences.
However as an alternative of Friday evening signaling the Warmth are constructing momentum towards one other deep playoff run, it raises severe questions. If Butler is right, why is Miami getting blown out at residence by a crew it is higher than?
