NOTES & QUOTES
Heat Starting Five: Antonio Snow, Josh Richardson, Justise WInslow, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Hassan Whiteside
Summary: Losing Anthony Davis only two games into the season with an Achilles tear is a huge blow to the New Orleans Pelicans who have now lost five games in a row. The Heat were itching to get a win after their first loss of the season two night prior against the Bucks. Davis is expected back sometime in late December or early January. Despite a slow start from Antonio Snow, scoring only 2 points in the first quarter, Miami still held a 15 point lead at the end of the first quarter. New Orleans rookie Ben Yu was tasked with guarding Snow in this one and he held his own for a while, but he eventually, Snow began to break down his defense. Miami did not waste time finding someone to shoulder the load while Bridges will be out for the next six weeks. Allen Crabbe joined the Heat from free agency the morning after losing to Milwaukee. Despite being down by 15 points at halftime, the Pelicans found themselves within three points in the fourth quarter as Julius Randle began to pick up steam. Randle had 13 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to stop Miami.
Allen Crabbe on his first game in Miami: Just looking to build on this. You always want to be able to contribute right away to your new team, so this was a good night. I didn’t really get much time to practice with the team, but I got a chance to study a few of the plays and I was able to knock some shots down.
Pelicans Rookie Ben Yu on guarding Antonio Snow: Staying in front of him is hard work. He twists and turns so much on the court. He is faster in real life than he appears on television. Guarding him like that for long periods of time can wear you out.
Antonio Snow on picking up the triple-double: I don’t get them often. I mean, I am literally fighting Bam, Bol, and Hassan for rebounds out there. Our Bigs really crash the boards. But I was able to get a few offensive rebounds tonight and I figured there was a good chance. Hassan almost messed up with getting that last rebound though.
Top Performers
New Orleans Pelicans
Julius Randle – 24 PTS, 10 REB, 2 AST
Jeremy Lin – 18 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
Thon Maker – 11 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
Miami Heat
Antonio Snow – 26 PTS, 10 REB, 11 AST, 2 STL
Josh RIchardson – 19 PTS, 2 AST
Hassan Whiteside – 10 PTS, 10 REB