The Miami Heat and New Orleans Pelicans are set to meet Thursday night in preseason action, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST at Videotron Centre in Québec City, Québec, Canada.
The game will air on WPLG Channel 10 in South Florida, Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network, and Pelicans+ in New Orleans. Radio coverage is listed for 104.3 FM and 1140 AM in South Florida, and 870 AM/105.3 FM in New Orleans.
This is the 15th preseason meeting between the teams. Miami has gone 6-8 all-time against New Orleans in the preseason, while the Heat hold a 30-21 edge over the Pelicans in regular-season play. That includes a 19-7 mark at home and an 11-14 record on the road.
Heat power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke about the effect Klay Thompson’s shooting has on the floor, saying: "It's just weird. Usually I always have guys on me, guys that build a wall, but they wasn't leaving Klay.
I think there was maybe one or two plays that he was wide open, one of them I missed him. But he wasn't open, like his guy was glued to him."
He added: "If you know that you have a guy like that who is probably, if not the best, second greatest shooter of all time on the court with you, I think it makes the game a lot easier for you. When he's open you got to deliver the ball, when he's not open you play four against four, you got more spacing, then you can make plays for yourself or your teammates."
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Pelicans Need More From Derik Queen Than They Got Last Year
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What makes Queen especially useful is the flexibility he brings to the frontcourt. Hes prepared to handle multiple positions as needed, which gives the Pelicans some lineup options as they sort out how best to maximize his role. The challenge now is turning that versatility into a bigger impact, because New Orleans is counting on him to be more than a steady piece this time around. [Read more 🡒]
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Yves Missi Already Put A Pelicans Concern Back In Focus
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Yves Missis night was the part that stood out most for the wrong reasons. The second-year center struggled to make an impact on either end, and the Pelicans interior defense looked shaky at times around him, leaving his early preseason showing as much about the concerns he raised as the positives New Orleans could take from the final score. The next chance to see if that sharpens up comes against Miami. [Read more 🡒]