New Orleans Pelicans: 3 key matchups vs. the Miami Heat
The New Orleans Pelicans will try to keep rolling against the Miami Heat on Christmas Day.
The New Orleans Pelicans notched an impressive victory over the Toronto Raptors and will try to build on that momentum vs. the Miami Heat in the first game scheduled for Christmas Day.
The Pelicans used a full team effort to get past a tough Toronto team, and to overcome their own mistakes, as the Pels played a sloppy first half and were often their own worst enemy.
Related Story. Grades for the 113-99 win over the Toronto Raptors. light
Brandon Ingram stepped up in the second half against a very good Toronto defense, facilitated the offense and nearly got his first triple-double, ending with 24 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.
The Pels tried to pound the ball down low early but Toronto stuffed the lane, so the Pels changed their plan and let it fly from 3-point range.
They might have to adopt a similar strategy against the Miami Heat, who are also very good defensively.
The Heat are coming off a loss to the Magic and will be eager to get into the win column. Here are the matchups that will decide the game.
New Orleans Pelicans: Key matchups against the Miami Heat
Matchup #1
Eric Bledsoe vs. Goran Dragic
Eric Bledsoe got his career to a Pelican off to a great start and was one of the keys to the win over Toronto.
He hit some timely 3-point shots that kept the Pelicans in the game in the first half and played great defense all night, making things miserable for Fred VanVleet.
Bledsoe was able to limit penetration from the Raptor guards and make them settle for 3-point shots, which they stopped hitting in the second half.
He’ll need to do the same with Dragic, who will come off the bench and likely face Bledsoe in the second unit.
Dragic is the engine that makes the Heat go in many ways, so stopping him from getting to the rim will be key. Dragic is a much better shooter than VanVleet, but Bledsoe needs to make him take jumpers instead of getting shots at the rim.
This will be another good test for Bledsoe and Lonzo Ball, who both played well defensively against the Raptors and will look to shut down the Heat guards.