The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Miami Heat, 111-88, at Kaseya Center on Friday.

The Pelicans (43-27) endured a slow start against the Heat (38-32), but they eventually pulled away to secure a comfortable victory. With the win, New Orleans moved to 23-14 away from home, while the Heat moved to 17-16 at home. New Orleans jumped to a 21-20 lead in the first quarter, and they made it a four-point game by the time halftime arrived following a 25-22 score in the second quarter. However, the Pelicans would end up pulling away for good in the second half. A 30-24 score in the third quarter made it a double-digit game, and the Pels closed things out with a 35-22 score in the final 12 minutes.

CJ McCollum led the way for the Pelicans with 30 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Zion Williamson had a subpar effort after ending with four points (2-7 FG), five rebounds and four assists across 25 minutes. Trey Murphy III notched 14 points and eight rebounds. Jose Alvarado added 17 points, six assists and seven rebounds off the bench. The Pelicans shot 51.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range.

Jimmy Butler had 17 points, five assists and four rebounds for the Heat. Bam Adebayo recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds. Terry Rozier had 13 points and four boards, while Nikola Jovic notched 10 points. Cole Swider added 14 points coming off the bench. The Heat shot a meager 36 percent from the field and 27.7 percent from deep.