Without their star players, the Miami Heat and New Orleans Pelicans will face the challenging task of competing for a last shot on Friday night (19).
Against the Chicago Bulls for the last playoff place in the Eastern Conference in the 2023–24 NBA season, the Florida team will play without Jimmy Butler, while Zion Williamson will be absent in New Orleans against the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference.
Due to injuries sustained during the first play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Zion was forced to leave the court at the conclusion of the match. Despite an injury sustained in the first half of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Butler was able to finish it out.
How does the Heat appear in the play-in game without Jimmy Butler?
Being Miami’s top player during the postseason and someone who is recognized for stepping up his game is Jimmy Butler. This is especially true when the team needs to perform well in crucial situations.
JIMMY BUTLER IS IN #PLAYOFFMODE
56 PTS | 19-28 FG 🔥
HEAT FRANCHISE PLAYOFF RECORD.
T-4TH MOST POINTS IN NBA PLAYOFF HISTORY. pic.twitter.com/dv4iNILXWu
— NBA (@NBA) April 25, 2023However, the team itself is renowned for including every player at pivotal times rather than giving the ball to a single athlete. Jaime Jaquez Jr., a rookie, made the most crucial play in the fourth quarter against the Sixers, for example, as he scored.
All the same, the Heat will miss Butler. Prior to the last three minutes of play, the squad fell down on the scoreboard in their playoff matchup with the same Chicago Bulls for eighth place last year. Clutch time upset and classification were mostly Jimmy’s doing.
In one of the games of the series against the Milwaukee Bucks, for instance, the forward scored 56 points, making him the team’s top scorer in the postseason the previous year. As things currently stand, the club does not have a pitcher that approaches that total.
With Jimmy Butler out of the lineup, the team will play far worse than it did the previous season.
In the play-in, how do the Pelicans fare without Zion Williamson?
Zion will be missed by the Pelicans more than Butler will be missed by Miami. The team may have even qualified for the playoffs if not for the injury sustained at the end of the game against the Lakers.
GTA FINDS ZION ON BACK-TO-BACK SLAMS FOR THE TIE 🗣️
4Q OF LAKERS-PELICANS LIVE NOW ON TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/vREdK3DBS6
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 17, 2024In the first play-in game, Williamson scored forty points; Trey Murphy, representing New Orleans, was second in scoring with just twelve.
The New Orleans squad is heavily reliant on the center’s play; in the last regular season game, for instance, Zion’s poor performance led to the Lakers dominating the Pelicans.
Prior to Williamson’s injury in January of the previous season, which prevented him from playing the remaining games, the team led the Western Conference. With its top player out of the picture, New Orleans fell into the play-in zone and missed out on making the playoffs.
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