Miami. Resisting the losses of their best players, the Miami Heat and the New Orleans Pelicans took over the last two available spots in the NBA playoffs on Friday.
The Pelicans, with the absence of the injured Zion Williamson, defeated the Sacramento Kings 105-98 and met the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the Western Conference.
For their part, the Heat, current runner-up, with Mexican Jaime Jáquez, defeated the Chicago Bulls 112-91 and will once again clash with the fearsome Boston Celtics, the best team in the NBA in the regular season.
Shooting guard Tyler Herro, with 24 points, and rookie Jáquez, with 21 points, took over from Jimmy Butler at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
The Heat, who finished the regular season in eighth place in the East, now face a new battle with the Celtics, big favorites in the sector and owners of the best overall balance with 64 wins and 18 losses.
The duel will be a repeat of the last Eastern Finals, in which Miami won 4-3 on aggregate, and the fourth meeting in total between the two teams in the last five seasons.
However, the Heat’s aspirations for a repeat victory in 2023 are in doubt after the ligament injury suffered by Jimmy Butler in Tuesday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first playoff game.
The Florida franchise has not yet given an estimate of Butler’s time out, but it could last for weeks according to local media.
This Friday forward Jáquez Jr., of Mexican parents, took Butler’s place in the starting five and had one of the best nights of his first season in the league with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
“Jaime has been one of the best rookies all season and he showed it tonight on both sides of the court,” his teammate Tyler Herro acknowledged.
For their part, the Bulls closed another disappointing season with a disastrous performance in Miami.
Thirteen hours before the playoffs begin on Saturday, the matchup table was completed with the Pelicans’ victory over the Sacramento Kings without star Zion Williamson.
The Kings were at a much lower level than they showed on Tuesday when they eliminated the Golden State Warriors.
For the Pelicans it will be their second presence in the postseason since 2018, in a journey that will begin without Zion Williamson, their top scorer (22.9 points) of the campaign.
The power forward suffered a hamstring injury at the end of the first playoff game that they lost to the Lakers.
Williamson will be re-evaluated in two weeks so he will probably not be able to participate in the first-round series against the Oklahoma Thunder, the surprising leaders of the West.
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– 2024-04-29 01:05:54
