Pelicans’ Willie Green goes with off-beat rotations in frustrating loss to Heat

The Pelicans have had an issue with their starting lineups posting negative ratings. They had 12 points as a team when Williamson took a breather Friday night. A Hawkins three-pointer was the only New Orleans bucket over the next 2:11 of game time. A lineup of CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Marshall, Hawkins and Nance Jr. generated little offense. Jose Alvarado and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl replaced McCollum and Jones with 3:36 left in the first quarter, with the score 22-15 Heat.

Nance, Alvarado, and Hawkins provided a brief spark with seven points over the next 58 seconds. Spoelstra countered by sending a well-rested Jimmy Butler back into a two-point game (24-22) with 2:12 on the clock. The Heat were up 43-24 less than five minutes later. Alvarado got stripped by Butler, missed a contested layup and committed a frustration foul within 70 seconds. It was a prelude to the rest of the night.

Williamson subbed in for Robinson-Earl with 1:05 left in the first quarter. Giving Williamson one, maybe two possessions to end the quarter lets the opponent defensively load up against the initial action. Why not let the two-time All-Star stay out longer to start the game, then get a longer rest plus the end-of-quarter break? Then Williamson could start the second quarter going against some reserves.

The first possession with Williamson back on the court was a Hawkins 25-foot three-pointer. Butler got the defensive rebound and was then fouled by Alvarado. Butler made the first of two free throws, with Williamson grabbing the miss. An outlet to Alvarado led to a blocked three-point attempt. A favorable bounce led to a Williamson layup, but Duncan Robinson capped the quarter with a three-pointer.

Miami slips out with win despite New Orleans run

McCollum, Williamson, Murphy, Nance Jr. and Marshall started the second quarter. The score was 31-24. The Pelicans did not make a field goal for over four minutes. Williamson’s free throws were the only points until Point Zion muscled in a layup at the 7:58 mark. Robinson-Earl replaced Marshall during those free throws, but the Pelicans had trouble communicating switching assignments.

The teams were all tied up at halftime thanks to a late first-half surge from the Pelicans. Sadly, McCollum (ankle) was unable to continue after the break and New Orleans became unhinged. Green took out Valanciunas and Williamson for Robinson-Earl and Nance Jr. midway through the third quarter despite the Heat sticking with a big lineup including Adebayo and Nikola Jovic.

The game was all but over once Marshall and Alvarado were ejected early in the fourth quarter. The Pelicans had no half-court offense initiation except through Point Zion, which Miami knew was coming. Williamson finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, but Spoelstra kept New Orleans’ supporting cast quiet. McCollum, Murphy and Hawkins made just seven of 36 shots combined.

Green decided to take a pointed high road in the post-game press conference, referencing the unfair treatment he believes Williamson regularly gets from officials—not just during Friday’s game.

“I don’t think he gets a great whistle,” Green shared. “I thought it could have been better.”

The improvement desired by the Pelicans from the NBA’s referees is not a big ask.

“Be consistent,” Green sighed. “Simple. Be consistent. I won’t go too much further than that. Try to keep some money in my pocket if I can. But be consistent across the board.”

Green recently said to expect a shortened rotation down the stretch, but did not adhere to those principles in the back-to-back set. Perhaps it was just a strategy to save New Orleans’ legs for a very winnable game in two days against the Chicago Bulls.

Still, Hawkins getting more minutes now that Dyson Daniels is out for a few weeks was expected. Robinson-Earl getting 23 minutes was surprising. Marshall, Murphy, and Nance Jr. looked like far better options plus Matt Ryan needs to knock off rust.

Erik Spoelstra stymies Green’s Pelicans yet again

The Pelicans scored fewer than 100 points for the seventh consecutive matchup versus the Heat. New Orleans has lost every meeting with Miami going back to the 2020-21 season. The referees did the Pelicans no favors and the injury bug bit yet again. However, the home team has no one to blame for this loss. Green’s rotations were questionable, but the Pelicans were pretty bad offensively. They made seven three-pointers (32 attempts) and just 10 free throws.

Somehow it was a close game down the stretch. The Pelicans needed a stop with just over four minutes remaining and down seven points. The Heat grabbed three consecutive offensive rebounds and called a timeout with 3:53 remaining. Miami missing open looks late barely mattered. New Orleans went over six minutes without scoring a point in the fourth quarter and the crowd hit the exits early.

The team was frustrated, and the shots were not falling. Teams going against Spoelstra tend to have those kinds of nights. Those are issues Green will be forced to confront during the playoffs. In one of the toughest remaining regular season coaching tests, this practice run did not go as planned. The rotations on display tonight fell short and it’s something Green has to fix sooner rather than later.