New Orleans Pelicans Drop Second Preseason Game 128-118 to Giannis-led Miami Heat

The preseason continued for the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night as they fell 128-118 on the road to the Miami Heat. While it was their first loss, they did have a lead until later in the fourth quarter, and there were some things to like. It was a game of stretches, and the Heat had the last one.

This new Heat offense is incredibly dangerous with Giannis Antetokounmpo added to it, and the Pelicans really didn't have many answers. Antetokounmpo led Miami with 18 points on 8-of-13 from the field. 

New Orleans head coach Jamahl Mosley rolled out a different starting lineup, partially because Dejounte Murray sat out this game on injury precaution due to a toe issue. Jeremiah Fears and Bennedict Mathurin were inserted in place of Murray and Herb Jones.

Mathurin is someone who could legitimately push for the starting lineup over the next couple of weeks, bringing some added pressure from three. Perhaps they could look at a Murray-Fears backcourt as well.

Jones not starting was not by accident; the team is going to be looking for defensive intensity from everybody, and Jones is going to need to hit more threes. Jones could also still be very valuable for this team off the bench.

It was a better effort overall from the starting group, but the team still has a long way to go. Miami put a ton of pressure on them with their fast pace and was able to put up a ton of points.

One area where the Pelicans looked better was their shooting. They hit 19-of-43 from deep, with some key performances off the bench.

Jordan Poole has looked much improved over the two preseason games. There was a lot that went into the struggles last year and a new coaching staff coming in has allowed for a bit of a clean slate. Mosley has been impressed with Poole so far, and it's not hard to see why, given his recent performances.

The guard led New Orleans in scoring in this game with 14 points on 4-of-5 from the field (3-of-4 from three) with a rebound and two assists. It's not just the offense, either, as he has stepped up his effort on defense as well. If the Pelicans can get a solid performance out of him this year, their team would be much better for it.

Jaron Pierre Jr. was another performance of note. He has looked like a great selection through two games, doing exactly what the Pelicans want him to do. Pierre plays hard on defense, finishing with 12 points on 4-of-6 from three.

New Orleans looks good when it is hitting its shots, and has moments that make the defense look improved, but they are still going to need a lot of work to become a complementary team within this new system.