Miami Heat break 5 records in demolition of Zion Williamson-less New Orleans Pelicans

The Miami Heat blew out the New Orleans Pelicans, who were without their star players, including Zion Williamson, for a 153-105 victory on the road on Friday.

With the dominant win in their final road game of the season, the Heat grabbed the following five records:

• First team in NBA history with 11 players scoring nine or more points in a game
• Franchise record for single-game points
• Biggest road-win margin in franchise history
• Second-largest win margin in franchise history
• Second-largest road-win margin in the NBA this season

Moreover, 10 Miami Heat players scored in double digits as Bam Adebayo led their victory charge with a double-double of 23 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans were without most of their starters, with 11 players listed out for the game. Jamal Cain led their losing effort with 25 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal off the bench.

Despite the severely short-handed Pelicans roster, the Heat opted to play their starters, which might have contributed to the dominant win.

"We're going to treat it the same in terms of our rotation,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters in New Orleans. "I won't scoreboard watch. We're just focused on tonight and our business."

However, the outcome of the game made no difference to both teams' playoff picture, with the Pelicans out of playoff contention. Meanwhile, even though they have one more regular-season game remaining, the Heat are locked in the 10th spot of the Eastern Conference and will participate in the play-in tournament.

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Miami Heat to open Play-In Tournament against Chicago Bulls

Regardless of the outcome of the Miami Heat's final regular-season matchup against the Washington Wizards on Sunday, the Heat will hit the road on Wednesday to face the Chicago Bulls for their first play-in tournament game.

As the East's 10th-place team, the Heat will have to win back-to-back road matchups to secure a spot in the 2025 playoffs.

"It is a reset; it's the second season," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said about the Heat's play-in reality.

"I want everybody to be appreciative of this opportunity. It could be something where you’re not even in the play-in or have an opportunity for this. We have an opportunity to win and move on to the next thing. I mean, this is exciting. This is great competition."

The Miami Heat faced the Chicago Bulls thrice in the 2024-25 regular season. Their most recent matchup was a 119-111 road loss on Wednesday, going 0-3 against the Bulls in their season series.