Heat 128, Pelicans 118: Giannis scores 18 as Miami goes 2-0 in preseason
Antetokounmpo's first game at Kaseya Center in a Heat uniform headlined a win built on a 73-point first half.
The Miami Heat beat the New Orleans Pelicans 128-118 on Thursday at Kaseya Center, moving to 2-0 in the preseason, according to WSVN 7News.
What the numbers say
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 18 points on nearly 62% shooting in just under 18 minutes, WSVN reports. It was his first official game at Kaseya Center as a Heat player. The Heat's own site says he scored 18 in the first half on 8-of-13 shooting, per the page description; Torch has not been able to open the full article to reconcile the two framings, so the safe reading is simply that he finished with 18.
Miami scored 73 points in the first half, WSVN says, after scoring 76 in the first half of its 129-105 preseason-opening win over Toronto on Saturday. Against the Pelicans, Miami shot 38% from three on 40 attempts, similar to 35% (14 of 40) against Toronto.
New Orleans actually shot well, at 44% from the field and from three, but turned the ball over 21 times to Miami's 11, per WSVN. That gap in possessions is the clearest, source-backed reason a team that shot efficiently still lost by ten.
What it means
WSVN raises questions about spacing with Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo on the floor and few shooters beyond Klay Thompson, and cautions that preseason is "no regular season basketball." That is the right frame: two exhibition wins, a lot of experimentation, and little that predicts the regular season.
The source does not describe the specific plays that decided the game, and does not mention injuries or rest, so Torch leaves those out.
Miami hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday at 8 p.m., the third of five preseason games.